He's Not Psychic, He's My Brother
by Kipling Bunny
Summary: John receives an urgent letter from his half brother and he decides to go visit him. Whether or not that is exactly a good thing, John has yet to determine. Atlantis Psych crossover
1. Family Visit

Reasons why I would write this: 1. These are two of my favorite shows and I just had to do it. 2. Why not? It would have happened eventually. :)

Thanks for reading my little plot bunny. I hope to add to it very soon.

And special thanks to Geeky BMWW Fan and Kippling Croft. They are awesome and they are the best helper buddies.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing associated to Stargate: Atlantis or Psych. They belong to their rightful owners. As for colecovision... the jury's still out. lol j/k

* * *

_Chapter One:_

**_Family Visit; and By Family I Mean I Need Guidance Counseling _**

* * *

John Sheppard knew Rodney McKay was going to flood him with questions for two reasons. One, Rodney was shadowing him down the busy Atlantis corridor. And two, it was a rather slow Monday morning. 

_Was it Monday? _Being in another galaxy kind of threw your schedule off if you weren't careful enough to keep an eye on it.

"I had no idea that you could get regular messages from Earth," Rodney said over the din of those wandering past them. "I mean, no one told me. I thought they disabled the program and we were ordered to cut all Earth civilian contact down to only acute emergencies."

"No. I'm sure they told you. Didn't you get the memo?" John knew asking Rodney was futile, as the Canadian never checked any memo postings or listened to any announcements when it didn't pertain to him directly. "SGC restarted the program awhile ago. You can basically get anything from Earth now as long as it's approved."

Not like Rodney would have received anything from anyone on Earth. John didn't exactly want to tell him that.

It came out of his mouth anyway.

"Not like you would have received anything. You aren't exactly a poster boy for greetings from home."

To the colonel's surprise, Rodney actually started to nod in agreement and then stopped abruptly. "Hey! I have a sister that could contact me."

"You're right, _Meredith_," John dead panned as he practically _heard_ Rodney's eyes roll in annoyance. John loved getting any rise out of Rodney on slow days. And calling him by his real name was cheap and easy entertainment . "Why don't you send Jeanie a letter asking why she hasn't sent anything?"

Rodney pondered that for a moment and then shook his head. "Nah. Unless I'm dying I don't really need to contact anyone."

"See? She probably does the same thing when it comes to you."

Rodney now appeared seemingly upset that his sister would write him off as much as he would her. He was probably going to send her an angry letter after all. John made a mental note to tell Rodney to lighten up.

Instead of furthering the subject, McKay changed it.

"Speaking of which, you have a brother? I never knew."

_Bingo._ That was the question John had been waiting for.

"You never asked."

Rodney gave him a _puh-leeze _look. "Um, I've known you for how long? Almost 3 and a half years? I'm pretty sure I would have asked you if you had any siblings by now."

What's sad is that Rodney actually had asked him. And he wasn't the only one. Plenty of Atlantis personnel, including Teyla and Elizabeth had asked him about his family life. John always purposefully lied about it.

He winced at the thought of his perpetual fabrications to avoiding the 'family' subject, but it was his business and he could do as he pleased. Not to mention, John had become an expert of switching the subject on someone. Before the said person knew it, the subject was avoided and something else was brought up. Like pulling a rug out from underneath them.

John still hadn't answered Rodney until he reached his quarters. John desperately wanted to lose him so he could pack in peace.

"Uh, yeah. I have a brother. _Half-brother_. Sometimes I forget that minor detail."

"That bad, huh?" Rodney asked. His eyes now shone with a slight glimmer of sympathy.

John held up his hands defensively and started to back away. "Don't go all Oprah on me. Besides it's not a big deal. He's just my half brother."

John opened the door to his room in defeat; no feasible attempt could persuade Rodney to leave so soon. John knew his friend wouldn't stop bothering him until he had some substantial answers.

John furrowed his brow and feigned concentration, "Now where did I put my duffel bag..." He trailed off hoping that the man standing in his doorway would take a hint.

He didn't.

"And??" Rodney looked almost miffed.

Sheppard rolled his eyes and turned around. "Look, we just have the same mother. That's it. My parents got divorced, my mom moved on and had a son. She also had no idea that she was going to marry a complete ass. Again. But she eventually realized it sooner or later and she got divorced for a second time. To make the story sweeter, my step-dad hated my guts for some reason and more than likely still does."

John let out a small sigh and turned back to searching for his travel bag. "Anyway, they broke up when Shawn was in his early teens and I didn't really care too much since I was long gone."

Rodney, being the caring, sentimental person that he was, snorted a laugh. "Shawn? _And_ John?"

"Yeah, Rodney. Our names rhyme. You're a genius. Now would you let me pack?"

"Ah, yes. Why is it that you are going again?"

"Shawn sent me an urgent letter. He didn't explain exactly. But it could be an emergency since he took the time to actually get a hold of me. Maybe his dad died." John gazed off into the distance for a moment and looked almost pleased at the idea. Rodney's eyes widened in amazement that John was wishing someone dead.

John continued, "I should only be gone for a few days at most. I have enough time saved up that I can take off half a week with out messing anything up. I can visit my dear half brother, cross it off my list and never have to do it again." He added with a grin, "By the way, he lives in Santa Barbara. Don't think that I'm going to complain any time soon."

"You know, we didn't discover Zed-PMs just so you could use up the gates' energy traveling half-way to California. Besides you're going to leave your post as head of military for a few days of fun in the sun?"

John could tell Rodney was pretty jealous of the situation. So he decided to milk it. As all good friends do, of course.

"Yep that sounds about right. Weir ok'd it and besides, Major Lorne is perfectly capable of taking care of any needs that arise. But in the meantime I can picture myself on the beach momentarily forgetting there is something out there called...oh what is it again? Oh yeah... Wraith."

"I hate you."

_Knew that was coming._

"I'll be back before you know it," Sheppard told him reassuringly.

"Famous last words," Rodney said. To his relief, Rodney finally turned around and walked out of John's room.

"You'll miss me!" Sheppard made sure to call out to him before he was out of ear-shot.

Not too soon after, John realized that he didn't have much to pack. After a few grueling minutes of deciding which socks to take, he grabbed his duffel bag and marched out of his quarters.

Before heading to the gate room, he made sure to sensory lock the door to his room. John could only imagine Rodney talking Ronon into messing something up in his room. If, of course, Teyla hadn't talked them out of it first. His Johnny Cash poster just wasn't safe otherwise

Before long, John sauntered up to Weir's office, bag in hand, and found her staring at the laptop in front of her with sheer concentration. As John walked up her trance was broken and she smiled up at him. "Are you ready?"

John grinned while ignoring the butterflies fluttering thru his stomach. He didn't exactly want to go, but he wasn't going to tell her either. "Ready. Are you busy?"

She shook her head and sheepishly turned her laptop around so John could see the intense game of solitaire staring back at him. Guilty.

Weir shrugged. "I'm caught up with reports. It's a slow day."

"You can say that again. I'm glad I'll have a few days to myself," John retorted with a reaffirming nod.

Weir stood up from her chair and put on her 'serious' face. She did it too well. John didn't know if he was in for a lecture or a well-thought out farewell.

"John, you deserve it. I was hesitant about letting you go, but since it's for such a short period of time there's no harm in letting you leave." She finally cracked a grin. "I hope you have a nice time."

John nodded emphatically. "I only wish Ronon and Teyla could come with me they're my new entourage," he said with a smile.

"As much fun as the two would have with you, I'd hold off from introducing them to Earth just yet. Perhaps another time." She leaned forward a bit and added quietly with a smirk, " **T**hink about the culture shock alone."

John shuddered to think of what Ronon could do, or rather _would_ do, to half of the people John was meeting up with. "You might be right about that."

"So, John, ready to leave?"

"Now you're making me nervous."

"You're walking through the Stargate. Not exactly frightening."

_Time to 'fess up._

"I haven't seen my brother in 10 years. Let alone my step-dad." John forced a smile. "This should be interesting."

And that was putting it lightly.

An inquisitive look came across Weir's face, but John was too fast. He exited her office before she could question him.

Sheppard walked down the stairs while technician dialed up the gate. Within seconds it came to life, humming with energy. Cheyenne Mountain waited just on the other side.

John didn't think it was a big ordeal that he was leaving for a few days. Ronon and Teyla felt differently.

"You're sure you have everything?" Teyla inquired as she and Ronon walked over to meet him. John gave her a nod. And yet, he could only imagine what Ronon was going to ask him so he set the matter straight.

"Don't worry I'm fine. I'm going to California. Less is more. Besides, I'll get you guys souvenirs," he said before adding with a smile, "and I'll make sure they aren't tacky."

"Well, have fun," Ronon said with as much excitement as he could muster. He wasn't great at saying goodbyes.

Teyla nodded in agreement. "Our thoughts and prayers go with you."

John laughed. "I'm not going to the moon, you guys. I'll be back soon, before you even have a chance to miss me."

Ronon answered by pulling him into a bear hug, much to Sheppard's surprise. The glint in Teyla's eyes told him she wished to do the same. And up above from Weir's office, Elizabeth smiled and waved along with Rodney, who still looked a bit jealous he got to leave. haha

_This is my real family_, John thought with a smile on his face. He then picked up his bag and walked to the gate.

"One small step for man...," John said to himself as he walked thru.

After the gate closed, Ronon still stood there. Teyla gave him a funny look.

"I wonder why he never told us he had a brother."

She nodded in agreement, "I, too, wonder the same." Teyla then laughed. "Maybe his brother is someone like Dr. McKay."

Ronon laughed along with her. "Yeah. Maybe Sheppard's embarrassed by him."

"I heard that!" Rodney said from somewhere behind.

Little did they know, John's younger brother was different than from anyone they had encountered before.

But who said different was a bad thing?

* * *

_-Santa Barbara (Milky Way Galaxy)-_

_---_

Shawn Spencer covered his eyes with both hands and he mentally _wished_ the tv to turn off. Of course it didn't.

"Uh! Not the preview for _Starscape_ again, Gus... that show is so going to be lame. Cheesy aliens, bad lighting. It's doomed from the start." He slowly turned his head to look at his best friend sitting at his left. _"_You know, the exact point of having tivo is that you get to _fast forward _through these commercials."

"How many times do have I have to tell you? I like _this_ commercial." Gus narrowed his eyes at Shawn while keeping a firm grip on the tivo remote.

"You better be careful or I'm going to bury that thing next to your ColecoVision."

"Cole-... Shawn, you said that 'it got stolen' before you went to summer camp," Gus exclaimed while exaggerating with hand quotes.

Shawn used his own hand quotes. "By 'it got stolen', I meant 'I buried it'." He stopped for a moment and thought it over. "Actually, no wait. My dad dug it up when planting some freesias one year."

"Really?"

"Yeah, freesias have a great smell when in bloom... you should really check them ou-"

"Not that. Your dad was in to planting flowers?"

Shawn shrugged. "It was a phase."

Gus was probably having a hard time envisioning Henry Spencer planting flowers in his front yard and before he had the chance to make that comment, the sound of his cell ringtone filled the air.

Shawn watched him walk to pick up his ringing cell as he bopped to the ringtone. "Is that 'Final Countdown' by Europe? Sweet."

After Gus picked up the phone, he immediately became rigid. "Uh, yes this is he." He cleared his throat and made his voice slightly more professional. "Yes, Shawn is here."

Shawn's eyes widened. "If it's Lassy, I'm in the shower," he whispered loudly.

Gus rolled his eyes and handed the phone over to him.

Shawn looked at the phone and back up to Gus. "What would you like me to do with it?"

"Shawn, it's... your brother. It's John. He's in town. Why does he have my cell phone number?"

Shawn looked half-elated and half-horrified. "If it's Lassiter, I'm throwing your posture-pedic pillow out the window."

Just when Gus was about to lose his patience, Shawn grabbed the phone from him. After he stared at it for a second as if it was a hairy spider, Shawn finally put the receiver to his ear.

"Hello?"

"_Shawn? Hey, it's John. Where do you live?"_

"Oh my God, it's my brother." Shawn said after he put his hand over the receiver. He finally spoke into the phone. "Hey John... hey buddy, how are you... Um, why are you here?"

"_What do you mean, why am I here? You asked me to come."_

"I did? Oh I did." Shawn slightly forgot that small window into his previous weeks of life. He wrote John a letter urging him to come visit. But Shawn also sent him another letter explaining that he actually didn't need to come at all. Didn't he? "John didn't you get my other letter? Boy the military sure is weird with what it sends you. You're not stationed in Area 51, are you?"

"_Shawn, you sent me one letter." _

And then he saw it. Still on the kitchen counter. Still in a plain white envelope. No stamp.

Gus walked over to the enclosed letter Shawn had been eyeballing; he promptly picked it up, walked back over and shoved it in Shawn's face.

_Shoot._

_Think fast._

"Maybe it didn't get to you in time. Uh... you know Orange Alert these days. They probably had to scan it a million times. But it'd be great to see you. Where are you right now?"

"_I'm in Santa Barbara," _John replied, now no longer sounding like a happy camper.

Shawn quickly gave the man on the other line fast directions to his home, hung up and stared at Gus.

"Shawn you do realize that you never sent the other letter."

"Yes, Gus. Thank you for pointing that out."

Gus smiled and took a seat back on his favorite chair in front of the tv. "You know, a visit from your half-brother should be fun."

"Yeah...but... I haven't seen him in 10 years," Shawn chimed in while reclaiming his own seat.

"I know. The last time you saw him was the last time I saw him."

Both Shawn and Gus sat in silence for a moment, and the tivo stayed paused. A sad looking stilled frame of_ Starscape _filled the screen.

"I wonder what he's been up to all these years," Gus said finally.

"You know what this means," Shawn exclaimed as he stood up.

"What?"

"I once made a bet with Jules that I had a member of the Air Force in my family. Now I can win."

* * *

Thank you for reading. Hated it? Liked it? Questions? Concerns? Let me know! 


	2. Thanks For The Memories

I updated this chapter faster than expected, which is a good thing! Most people here(of course) are more familiar with Stargate Atlantis rather than Psych. For those who haven't seen Psych yet, check it out! It's a fun show. And someone commented that James Roday and Joe Flannigan looked somewhat alike, and they kind of do. Which helps this story work. :D

Special thanks to Geeky BMWW Fan for her awesome beta-skillz. She's the best. And thanks Kippling Croft for all the ideas.

**Disclaimer: **Stargate nor Psych is mine.

* * *

_Chapter Two:_

_**Thanks For The Memories**_

* * *

John left Cheyenne Mountain earlier than was planned. He only had so many days set aside before he was meant to return to Atlantis, so the quicker he started his vacation the better. To his relief, General Landry complied and let the colonel leave the SGC ahead of schedule. 

After getting to Denver in just under an hour, he quickly got on the next flight from Colorado to Long Beach.

Sitting comfortably at his window seat, John had plenty of time, 1 hour and 53 minutes to be exact, to think over everything that had been building up in his mind.

The real reason why John Sheppard wasn't exactly looking forward to a family reunion, rested solely around his step-father.

John's step-father, better known as Shawn Spencer's father. Even better known as Henry Spencer, Santa Barbara Police detective.

He was an awesome cop, and an even better detective, but his paternal skills went right out the window the moment John had stepped into his life.

John's own father wasn't the greatest either. One particularly cogent reason why John's mother was divorced in the first place.

But what really confused John was the fact that his mother married the same person, in a different body, all over again.

John's biological father and his step-father were pretty much the same. Hair was different, height as well. But the hard-ass military 'I will break you or bust' attitude showed that both men were cut from the same cloth. Keep it looking like a happy family on the outside, run it like a hard working machine on the inside. A machine that never breaks.

Shawn was born approximately one and a half years into the marriage. And John hated him from the get go . Shawn was the star. As a baby, Shawn received more attention from his mother and less attention from his step-father, which made John despise the baby for all he was worth. Of course as he grew older he realized that having a younger sibling could work to his advantage. But from an eight and a half year old's standpoint, the baby had to go.

And of course it didn't.

Shawn eventually grew up, and John would travel between parents. Summers with his father. School semesters with his mother and step-family.

Once John hit the prime age of eighteen , he up and joined the Air Force, and never looked back.

His own father was out there single and alone and so was his step-father, since he and his mother had divorced when Shawn was about twelve. Too many years being married to a jerk could take its toll on a person. And John's mother wasn't strong enough.

So now, she too was alone.

But Shawn had Gus. Always did and always would.

The last time John saw Henry was about ten years ago. Still an amateur in the Air Force and still an amateur to life in general. It didn't help that he was also married and failing miserably at it.

John hadn't realized that a person's life could so easily be modeled after their own childhood. He learned that quickly after a short and wasted marriage to a former Air Force pilot. She soon left the Air Force after the wedding, since she outranked him, and it went downhill from there.

Nearing the end of his marriage, John met up with Shawn at Henry's house one night. First big mistake.

_John sat at the large dining room table and a rather large steel head stared back at him._

_"Caught that one with my bare hands," Henry said right after shoving a piece of fish into his mouth. _

_John smiled and nodded. "I'm sure you did." _

_"You should come with me sometime, John."_

_"Oh no, you've been caught in the web of a fishing invite, what do you do now?" Shawn mock asked while laughing his head off._

_"Shawn__ knock it off," Henry said, pointing his fork at him. _

_"Thanks, Henry, maybe I will sometime," John replied, cutting into his fish._

_Gus shook his head and stared wide-eyed at the idea of ever going fishing with Henry. That alone could and most definitely would give him nightmares for a good solid week. _

_"Don't worry, Gus... I'm not going to invite you," Henry mumbled, while promptly turning his attention back to John. "And maybe we can take that wife of yours too." _

_John looked across the table at Henry after poking his fish with a butter knife. "Um... I don't think she'll be coming." _

_"Oh? Why is that?"_

_What irked John about his interrogation was that he already knew why. This was Henry's way to problem solve. Get the issue out in the open and then tell the person what they've done wrong and how to go fix it. _

_"She and I separated last Tuesday."_

_Shawn and Gus grew really quiet._

_Henry, on the other hand, did not._

_Is that so? What happened, John? Irreconcilable differences?" _

_"I guess. We just grew apart," John said growing quiet as he thought about his wife and her affair with John's second in command . The three of them were all friends. He hadn't known just how close his wife and now former friend were._

_Henry raised a brow. After setting down his fork he leaned into the table and gave John a 'look'. Even though Henry was at least four feet away, that was too close from John's standpoint. "And are you just going to give up?" _

_"Excuse me?"_

_Henry shrugged. "Meaning what?" He leaned in a bit closer. John scooted his chair back a bit. "Want to know what I think?" _

_  
"Not really," John said almost inaudibly. Thankfully Henry hadn't heard, but Shawn and Gus did. Their faces looked as though they had just seen the first sign of the Apocalypse. _

_I think," Henry continued, "that you don't know how to take care of a woman, John. You need to take responsibility for your actions."_

_"But she had an affair," John interrupted now sounding a bit louder than before. "And from your rap-sheet, I don't think taking advice from you is exactly a great idea." _

_"I'm much older than you, John. I think I'm a little bit wiser by now. And I know how disrespectful you are to your commanding officers. Hell, you were almost demoted for ignoring a direct order. How are you supposed to support a marriage with actions like that?" _

_"How did you-" John stopped. No body was supposed to know about that. He couldn't imagine his mother even knowing. The only person he told (while a bit inebriated, mind you) was... Shawn._

_Shawn now looked as though he was getting ready to be hung from the gallows._

_John glared at him. "You told your dad?"_

_Shawn held up his hands in surrender. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to; it just slipped out."_

_Gus looked over at Shawn. "You told your dad about John's reprimand?"_

_John's eyes widened. "You told Gus too?"_

_Shawn tried to look innocent as he gestured to Gus. "Oh, c'mon_ _it's Gus."_

_"But you told your dad." John stood up from his chair. "I'm leaving."_

_"Go ahead, John. Walk out of this, just like you walk out of everything else in your life," Henry called out to him. _

_Shawn looked around as if he had no idea what had just happened. In fact, he had to ask._

_"What just happened?"_

_Gus glared at his friend while Shawn got out of his seat to stop his brother and to make things right._

_"John! Wait!" He ran out of the screen door and almost ran smack dab into John, who was making his way to his car. _

_"I don't need this, Shawn. Not him, not you. Not any of this," he said angrily while opening the door to his car._

_"John. I'm sorry…"_

_"Why don't you go back in the house and play lap dog for your dad, ok?"_

_"What?" Shawn shook his head in disbelief. "You didn't mean that."_

_"Oh, I meant it." With that John shut the door to his car and drove off, leaving everyone behind. _

* * *

John Sheppard drove down cookie-cutter streets in his Ford Taurus rental. He was pretty sure he reserved an SUV of some sort, but the teenager manning the desk at Hertz told him other wise. 

"Those cars don't match our policy of low-emission standards and do not pass smog check," the bracedfaced kid mumbled.

Since John hadn't felt like arguing, as he could fill that quota spending the day with his step-dad, he just took whatever was available.

_I feel like I'm driving an unmarked police car_, John thought to himself.

It didn't help that he looked slightly suspicious while traveling down the road. Every time John passed a street sign or a familiar looking home, he slowed to stare it down with scrutiny. As of yet, nothing looked recognizable.

To the left of him, the Pacific Ocean graced the skyline with its rolling, frothy white waves and masses of seagulls. To his right, litters of over-priced bungalows and stucco homes. Plenty to the point of too much stucco.

He needed a landmark. Anything to help guide him along.

John slammed on his brakes for a moment when he thought he had passed the same stucco house with a turquoise door and a for sale sign. To the dismay of both him and the driver behind him who honked and yelled simultaneously, it was just another _stucco house with a turquoise door and a for sale sign. _

"I'm in a sunny twilight zone."

John turned the corner at the stop sign and pulled into a parking spot next to the sidewalk.

He checked the directions Shawn gave him. The street name was right but the address was way off. It also didn't remedy the situation that everything looked the same.

Most, if not all, of the southern west coast looked the same. It was almost a ploy to ward off weary vacationers. Along the same lines, Santa Barbara was a So. Cal dream. Every cliché or rumor you heard was right. Palm trees were scattered like wildflowers. Surf-shops, outdoor cafes and Starbucks laced the road side. Meanwhile tourists, girls in bikini tops and shorts, and dog-walkers comprised the majority of the pedestrian population.

He watched momentarily as two young guys carrying surf boards ran down a cross walk shoe-less.

He recalled those days. Sort of. What he really remembered was that there weren't enough of those days to actually have a lasting memory. He'd fix that this weekend.

John sighed as he looked over his directions once more and thought about calling Shawn's cell phone. Or rather Gus' cell. Why Shawn gave him Gus's number in the first place was still a mystery to him .

He considered turning around and going back. He had a whole other galaxy to take care of and from the sound of it, Shawn didn't need him in the first place. Even though John's mind was harboring second thoughts on his trip, he decided to stay and make the most of it. He was already here, so why not?

It didn't help that John already felt like an outsider. He didn't visit Earth enough to really feel part of it anymore. It felt odd to be out of military garb. And his right hand itched to touch a P-90.

Instead, John had donned a light blue t-shirt and black board shorts. Not to mention flip flops. Those were a must. Have flip flops, will travel.

After a few extra seconds, he finally got out of his car and felt the balmy sea breeze brush over his face and hair. The familiar smell made him smile. He took a long glance around and pushed his aviators up the bridge of his nose.

After taking in a deep breath of ocean air, John eyeballed a few palms next to a stucco building.

_Did I already pass those palm trees?_

He glanced across the street and recognized the address. Immediately he found the place Shawn had reverberated over the phone. John quickly double-checked the scrawled letters he used for directions. It all seemed right.

The only thing that didn't seem right? The word 'PYSCH' on the front window, followed by: 'Private Psychic Detective'.

* * *

Gus peered out of the windows of their office. Still no sign of John. 

"Shawn, why didn't you give John directions to the house? We had to rush all the way out here."

Shawn was currently leaning back in his desk chair. "Just think about it, we're closer to I-5 this way. John probably has a rental car , and we can soon be on our way to Disneyland or some other tourist trap."

Gus narrowed his eyes. "We have to play tourist the entire time your brother his here?"

He shrugged. "It'll make the time go by much faster, and we won't have to bother him with any of our work," he said with a wink.

"Why did you wink? It's not like your keeping a secret from me."

"Winking just adds to the mystery."

"Whatever, Shawn," Gus said while looking out the windows again. "You do realize that Disneyland is a crazy place this time of year."

Just then Gus saw a beige Ford Taurus pull up across the street. Signature dark bed-head hair got out of the car.

"He's here. And I think he's found us."

"You're making him sound like a serial killer. He's supposed to find us."

"I know, Shawn," Gus said, now exasperated. He pointed to the letters that read 'psychic' on the window. "How are we going to explain that?"

"Hm..., let's just see what happens."

Gus checked the window again. "He's walking toward the building."

"Thank you, informant," Shawn said shaking his head.

Both Gus and Shawn watched as they saw the black, spiky hair show up at the door. A firm knock came after.

Shawn jumped over and pulled the door open and found John standing there. "Brother! How long it's been!" Shawn promptly pulled him into a hug.

After John pulled away, he glanced around the building. "Nice, cute place." He turned to look at both Shawn and Gus. "But who's the psychic? Are you renting this place and forgot to change the name?"

Both Shawn and Gus looked at each other and then back at John. "Well you see-.," "The funny thing is-.." Each man said simultaneously to John. And then they stopped.

Gus spoke up again first. "Shawn... he's uh, he's a psychic."

John raised a brow and looked at his younger brother. "You're a psychic?"

"Yes?" Shawn answered, although it sounded more like a question.

John laughed and pulled off his sunglasses. "And by psychic, you mean that your observation skills are uncanny and the only way you can rightfully pull it off is blaming it on superhuman abilities?" He stopped and before both Gus and Shawn could answer him, he continued. "What do you think I am, stupid? Or could you sense ahead of time that I wouldn't believe you?"

Gus looked over at Shawn momentarily and then back at John.

"Well, as long as the Santa Barbara police department is content, why not?" Shawn asked with a grin.

John smiled. "You're right."

"So, long trip? Where did you come from, Colorado? Which is funny because I didn't think the Air Force had a base near the Rockies."

John looked somewhat alarmed. "How did you..?"

Shawn smiled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Superhuman abilities, bro. Superhuman abilities."

"I knew it! You are stationed at Area 51, aren't you?" Gus asked, almost giddy. "What's it like?"

"Hey, I was the one who said he was at Area 51!" Shawn exclaimed.

John pointed to Gus. "First off, no. And second... even if I knew, that would be classified , wouldn't it?" John said with a shake of his head. He turned back to Shawn. "So, share with me. How did you know that I was in Colorado earlier?"

Shawn grinned. "Oh, that's easy."

* * *

Thanks for reading. Comments and reviews greatly appreciated! 

_**PsychFan **_-I agree with you there! Thank you and thanks for reviewing!

_**starfish**_- Thank you! Glad you like it so far. Believe me, chaos will enuse soon enough. :)

_**A pal**_- BCBW. wink Thanks:D


	3. Keep Questions To A Minimum

Hey everyone! Thank you, thank you for your excellent feedback! I really appreciate it. Sorry if this chapter is a bit smaller than the rest. I plan on adding chapter 4 very soon as well. Did you guys see the last Psych episode? I thought Uncle Burton was funny...and I was like, "Hey, Gus had a relative come and visit and now I'm writing one for Shawn." lol

And very special thank you for my awesome beta, Geeky BMWW Fan. She's helped immensely:)

**_Disclaimer: _**Alas, I do not own Stargate nor Psych. Shawn and John aren't mine, but they are fun to play with.

* * *

_Chapter Three:_

**_Pretend To Know What You're Talking About And Hopefully People Won't Ask Questions..._**

**_

* * *

_**

John merely laughed and shook his head. He could see the majority falling for Shawn's omnipresent enthusiasm and convincing nature, but he wasn't fooled.

He was about to counter-act Shawn with a disarming fact of his own, but Gus did it instead.

"Actually, Shawn, there _is_ an Air Force base in Colorado. Buckley." Gus reiterated smugly to his friend.

Shawn turned to look at him and said in a low voice, yet still clear enough for John to hear, "I thought we were going to have him admit he was stationed somewhere Top Secret."

John smirked. "You guys are cute and all , but I wasn't even Stateside until two nights ago."

_Or even on this side of the galaxy, for that matter._

"Afghanistan?" Gus asked raising a brow. "Iraq?"

"Antarctica?"

They both turned to Shawn. Gus was giving him a funny look, but John was somewhat surprised.

"Why would John be stationed in Antarctica, Shawn?" Gus asked, not veiling the annoyance in his voice.

John held up a finger. "Well... I was at McMurdo for awhile."

Gus's eyes widened. "Really?? What was it like?"

"Cold." And that was the most honest and factual truth.

Shawn hadn't caught on. "Mc...what? Murdo? Sounds like a muppet."

John continued, "And then I was at McMurdoch for some time."

"McMurdoch? Sounds made up," Gus scoffed.

Shawn grinned. "Could it be that you actually don't know something?"

"I'm Googling it."

As Gus consulted his laptop, John took the initiative to walk around and take in the sights of the psychic detective office. Shawn shadowed behind him quietly, analyzing John. At one point Shawn even started copying his brother's every move from behind his back, until Gus gave him a funny look.

"You guys have Rock 'em Sock 'em... does that help your psychic work much? Where'd you get it anyway?" John couldn't help but ask after finding the most interesting and random things in the small office.

He also seemed amused when Shawn responded with a quick, "Ebay." But then Shawn continued, "I'm the green one. Green is far superior. Though it's more of a blue-green...Aqua, perhaps?"

As Shawn continued on with naming a few blue-green colors, John stopped roving about the office when he saw a middle school locker set. He slowly opened one slightly ajar locker door. The 'trying hard to look sexy' face of Sonny Crockett stared back at him.

"Miami Vice? You guys are such nerds."

"I take offense," Shawn said with mock hurt. At that he placed a hand on John's shoulder. John eyed the hand suspiciously. "So, bro... what do you think of the digs?"

John shrugged. "It's nice. I guess. And people actually think you're a psychic? That's so interesting."

"I AM a psychic," Shawn said but then he exaggeratedly shook his head. "No, you're right. Buuuuut. It's job security and I've..."

"We've," Gus interjected without looking up from his computer screen.

"_We've_ already solved fifteen..."

"Sixteen." Gus. Again.

"Sixteen cases since helping the SBPD."

John gave an approving nod. "Impressive. So I'm guessing, " he pointed to Gus, "he's the only one who knows the truth."

"Well, there are those that are admittedly unimpressed and not convinced. Like my dad."

John couldn't help scrunching up his face at the mention of _him._ "Well, that does in fact sound like _your dad..._but then again, your dad preyed upon your genius and basically tailored you to what you are today." That was something John remembered, strangely. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Your perceptive powers, though, more than likely came from mom's side. No offense or anything."

Henry Spencer was a damn good detective. But Shawn had a gift. And surprisingly, John did too.

Shawn looked confused. "Why would I take offense at that? Speaking of _dad..._ I'm pretty sure he'd like to see you."

"And I'm sure he would."

Shawn's face looked grim. "Not a chance in hell, huh?"

"Not a snowball's."

Just then Shawn's cell rang. After fishing it out of his pocket, he gave a toothy grin upon seeing the caller's name.

He answered immediately and practically yodeled into the phone, "Yodel-ay-yodel-ay- yodel... oooh...Hello, Jules."

He paused as she spoke to him over the phone.

"Oh yeah, sorry about that... you caught me while I was linked with spirits from afar, unbeknownst to me they were Swiss German and most likely wore Lederhosen."

John rolled his eyes while Shawn kept talking.

"Ricooooolaaaaaaaa! Whoa, sorry. Oh, what was that? Uh-huh... ok... all right. See you in 5, _das_ _Fräulein."_

He hung up swiftly. "Gus! That was Jules, we've got a case." He pointed to John. "Wanna come?"

"I can't believe this!" Gus said while getting up from his seat.

"Oh c'mon... we took Uncle Burton everywhere. And John's actually cool."

Gus looked grim. "I can't find McMurdoch anywhere." He looked over at John. "I'm on to you."

John raised a brow at the somewhat uncharacteristic low spoken threat from Burton Guster.

"John's driving," Shawn announced as he walked out of the front door.

"Did somebody forget I'm on vacation?"

Gus looked over at him. "You're going to miss out on Shawn making a fool of himself in front of the Santa Barbara Police Department?"

John paused for a moment, but then reluctantly nodded. "Alright... I'm there."

* * *

Gus, with a triumphant look on his face, since he called shot-gun first, now sat in the passenger's seat of the rental.

Shawn sat in the direct middle of the back seat, so that he could be somewhat between them. "Dude, why did you get a Ford POS?"

"It's all they had," John said with a sigh. "So, where am I going?"

Gus gave him meticulous directions to the department and John took off.

"After this we can go from 101 to the 5 and be on our way to Anaheim." Shawn moved his head between Gus and John, and turned toward his brother. "You_ do_ want to go to Disneyland, right? I mean, that's what all the fun tourists do."

"Maybe. I actually would like to see you in action first."

Gus smirked at the mental image of Shawn putting on a show for the police with John watching, and at that Shawn glared at him.

"So, John, how are things in the Air Force?" Gus asked finally.

"Good. So far. I'm now a lieutenant colonel."

"Woooow," Shawn and Gus said in unison.

Shawn grinned while he asked, "So, do you get special perks? Lieutenant colonel spa treatments? Great conversation starter at parties?"

John looked at him through the rear view mirror. "Where I'm at, I don't go to parties."

"Where you're at... and where might that be?"

John was about to say something accurate like, _that's classified. _Or,_ none of your business._ Instead, while forgetting momentarily that Shawn might tell he's lying, John merely said, "Buckley and NORAD."

"North American Aerospace Defense Command?" Gus asked, eyes widening with excitement, Shawn, on the other hand, was staying rather quiet. "What's that like? And why would you be there?"

John sighed. Gus and his questions. He mentally kicked himself for bringing it up. But it was legitimate. "Uh...I flew an F-15 Eagle from Virginia and stayed to fly an F-16 for the Air National Guard..." He quickly changed the subject. "But, I'm stationed mainly at Ramstein."

"Germany? K-Town. Hm...What's Kaiserslautern like any way?"

"Best wurst."

Both John and Gus shared a generous laugh at the bad joke. But Shawn hadn't budged. He was silently contemplating something in the back seat. And that's what worried John the most.

After a few minutes of stop and go through midday traffic, John parked his car in front of the police department.

"So, just follow our lead and stick by us and you should be fine," Shawn finally said from the back seat, grinning widely.

"I'm in the Air Force. I think I know how to act in front of police."

Gus looked at Shawn. "The man's got a point."

* * *

Juliet O'Hara was getting rather impatient. She had just received word of a murder down at the Santa Barbara docks and was waiting for Lassiter and Shawn to arrive; they needed to assemble a team to meet with forensics who were already on their way there.

As if appearing out of no where, Carlton Lassiter walked in from a side door.

"There you are!" She said when spotting her partner.

Lassiter ignored her as he saw movement from the front doors of the department. "And there's Spencer, you didn't call him here did you? So _he_ was the one in the awful Ford Taurus."

Juliet followed his gaze to where he was staring. "Oh... yeah." She moved her head from side to side to get a better look. She spotted a tall, lanky man sauntering up behind Shawn and Gus. "And who's with him?"

Lassiter narrowed his eyes. "A civilian. I'll deal with this..."

When Shawn barged in, before Lassiter could speak to him, he announced to every one there... and just about every one stopped what they were doing to look at him, "Nobody move! My brother is here and I would like you all to meet him."

The very next second every one, except for Jules and Lassiter, went back to what they were doing and ignored him.

"Spencer has a brother?" Lassiter asked to no one in particular.

Juliet merely shrugged, she was too busy checking out the new arrival.

"Spencer! What are you doing? Why did you bring a civilian to our police work?"

Shawn became almost giddy. "Lassi! I'd like for you meet my brother, Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard of the United States Air Force."

Lassiter raised a unconvinced brow. "Sheppard?"

John, who was extremely annoyed by Shawn's overbearing display, opened his mouth to comment but Gus leaned into the conversation. "Shawn's _half_ brother."

"No. Really?" Lassiter asked Gus and then turned his unimpressed attention to John. He was now staring at his hair. "Let me guess? The hair thing's genetic? Because that's not normal."

"What hair thing?" Shawn asked, even though he clearly understood. He touched his own hair for a second and then reached out to touch John's. John dodged his hand like it was a flaming missile.

Lassiter narrowed his eyes at Shawn. "Too bad you missed out on the height."

Shawn looked some what hurt but John snorted a laugh. "That is true," he said giving Shawn a playful nudge with his elbow.

Lassiter was pleased that John hadn't come to Shawn's rescue right off the bat and he gave the tall, messy haired man an approving smile. "Well, it's certainly nice to meet you, colonel."

Meanwhile, Jules had walked up lazily behind Lassiter. "Shawn and John? Cute." She eyed John Sheppard up and down. "So, _very_... cute."

Shawn couldn't help but noticed that. "Uhhh... aren't we supposed to be investigating a murder at the docks?"

"Oh right..," Jules said while snapping to attention."How did you...?" She then realized it must have come from Shawn's psychic ability and didn't pursue her query further.

"Let's go, O'Hara," Lassiter said, moving out the front door towards his maroon car.

John looked at both Gus and Shawn. "Let me guess... I'm still driving?"

And the both of them gave him a quick smile in answer.

* * *

I plan on adding chapter four very soon! Thank you for reading!

_**PsychFan-**_ Thank you! And yeah, Disneyland!

_**Major Sam-**_ Thank you for reviewing! And thanks for all the great insight. I actually planned on having NORAD introduced in this chapter, as you can see... but I hadn't thought about Colorado Springs at all. Or Petersen for that matter. Thank so much for that:)

_**Arem-**_ Thank you! I'm glad you are excited about this. It's a crossover that can work somehow lol

_**mimi-**_ lol Thanks!

_**aislinn-**_ Thank you. I planning on making that work... though. wink

_**A pal-**_ Hey, thanks! You're right about Henry... BS/BCBW!

_**graceblade-**_ Thank you! I'm glad you are liking this little crossover so far. :D

_**Baller23jk5-**_ Whump may be a good idea... :) Thank you for reviewing!


	4. No Complaints

First, thank you again to all who read this and to those who also reviewed. Thank you so much! You guys are the best.

Just so you know, I in no way want to copy the Shawn vs. Red Phantom episode. I just needed a convention, and it worked. So, that being said... Thank you for reading!

And the chapter title is taken from a Beck song. A song that seemed fitting to this story. :D

Thank you to Geeky BMWW Fan for the beta! Band-aids for you!! And also thank you to Kippling Croft for her input.

* * *

_**Chapter Four: No Complaints **_

So far, the best part of John's trip was purposefully speeding and tailing behind an assortment of police cars.

"This is more like it," he said while running a red light as his beige rental zoomed past unsuspecting drivers. Gus and Shawn seemed impressed, if not slightly frightened into silence, at John's driving skills.

Shawn knew his half-brother was a good pilot, but hair-pin turns at forty-five degree angles jostled him in his securely fastened seat belt. "Is going fifty around corners neccesar...eee," Shawn paused as he watched a semi turn into their lane. John expertly flew around it. Shawn was about to make a note about checking one's blind spots, but he decided against it.

Within minutes they were parked out front of the Santa Barbara marina docks.

Once out of the car, the warm sea breeze fluttered around John, reminding him of his plans to surf and take in the ocean-filled sights. In addition to all that good touristy stuff.

Hanging around Shawn, while he faked superhuman powers, was not on his to-do list.

Shawn pointed to John. "You coming?"

"This is a crime scene. Besides, I think it would tick off Mr. Control over there." John made an inconspicuous nod over at Lassiter who was ordering cops around like a dictator.

Shawn shrugged. "You're part of my entourage."

"That's _my_ line." John then sighed and shook his head while following Shawn and Gus to the large marina.

As they walked down the wooden stairs, the forensics team was already taking pictures of the crime scene while barricading it with yellow tape. Lassiter and Juliet were in front and they walked down quickly to get a better look at the body.

"Spencer, what is _he_ doing here?" It was, of course, Lassiter referring to John.

"He's uh... he's needed for my psychic energy ... it runs in the family. With him around, I can get things done twice as fast."

Lassiter rolled his eyes and gave Juliet a look. She only shrugged and went back to the crime scene.

John stopped before continuing down the stairs, and he pulled Shawn aside while speaking quietly. "I don't think me being here is a good idea, and it doesn't help if they think I'm some kind of weirdo."

Gus must've over heard, since he spoke up just as quietly. "Oh, since you're related to Shawn... believe me, they already think you're a weirdo."

Shawn patted John's shoulder. "Don't worry, buddy."

John wanted to leave, but Shawn and Gus strolled forward, down to the body.

"An alien?! You call that an alien?"

It was Lassiter, but John was now intrigued as to what they were looking at.

He followed a random cop down the steps to get a better look.

Sure enough, a male body wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt was lying on its back in the center of a well covered boating platform. All while a very distinct rubber alien mask covered the man's face. The mask was powder white with dark yellow eyes, a closed blue mouth, along with light blue tentacles that came from the base of the head, which were now splayed out around on the ground.

The more John looked at it, the more it looked like a Wraith head. At first he was taken aback at the uncanny resemblance, but soon he let out a little snicker.

Lassiter looked over at him in disgust.

"Oh, you think death is funny?" He pointed to the body. "And I'm sure you see this all of the time, don't you, Mr. Marine..."

"Air Force."

Lassiter made a face. "Same difference."

John was surprised at how fast the detective had changed. He was almost certain that Lassiter liked him, but he had done a one-eighty on him.

Jules crouched down to the body while she eyed it carefully. "His neck was broken, but there are small lacerations on the neck. Identical holes." She looked up at Lassiter. "It's funny... but it looks like a vampire bite."

"Don't be ridiculous, O'Hara."

Just then Shawn jumped in, while placing a hand to his head and forcing his eyes shut.

"Nerds... nerds everywhere!"

John smirked. It was hard to fathom anyone believing this, but it was apparent that most people did.

Shawn must have caught something no one else had yet. Quickly, John scanned the body and made sure to look closely. A small fragment of paper was peaking out of a front pocket on the jeans. The letters 'SCI-CO' could be seen.

"What are you blabbering on about, Spencer?" Lassiter asked in annoyance.

"Star Wars. Star Trek... Star..." he looked at Gus.

"Scape...?"

"Yes! Starscape! They are all together, signing autographs... dressing up. Not getting girlfriends..."

"Like a convention?" Juliet asked.

Lassiter looked as though all of this was a waste of his time.

"Yes! Thank you, Jules!"

"You know, Sci-Con is starting tomorrow," Gus said with a grin. Nobody else smiled.

"This man... was an... employee. He was killed elsewhere..."

Jules nodded. "He's right. Time of death suggests that the victim was killed approximately four hours ago. And the marina reported that just two hours ago, there was a scuba team here. The body wasn't discovered until over a half an hour ago."

"I'm personally questioning the employees. Who doesn't notice a dead man being brought to a marina in broad daylight?" Lassiter mused aloud. He turned to a few officers. "I need a team at the harbor and another at the wharf."

Shawn turned to Gus while John walked over, skirting the dead body. "Dude, we should check out the convention center. But we're car-less without John."

"I'll drive. This is actually more exciting than I thought. It's like watching tv... And I don't get much of it where I'm at."

"No tv? Must be rough," Gus said.

Shawn mocked disappointment. "Aww, man! You missed the Sanjaya-hair?"

"The what?" John asked.

Gus shook his head. "I envy you."

After they had walked back to the car, and after Gus called shot gun again, it took little to no time for Shawn to start complaining in the back seat.

"Weren't we just at a comic-con? Why is there another one?"

Gus rolled his eyes and turned to his friend. "There's a difference, Shawn."

"San Diego Comic-Con has everything from Master Chief to Walt Disney and whatever is in between."

"And how would you know?" Gus asked coyly.

Now he looked as if he had been caught. "Uh... extensive Angelina Jolie research? I was going through a Tomb Raider phase. It happens to the best of us."

John was soon on his way to the convention center, when he was given sufficient directions.

"I hope this is worth it. _And_ I actually hope you solve the case, because I am wasting precious time with you guys. I haven't even had coffee today." John paused to think that over. "Oh, great. I'm turning into Rodney."

"Who's Rodney?" Shawn asked from behind his seat.

"No one you need to worry about. So when we get to this place, what do you plan on doing?"

"Snooping around."

Gus gave Shawn a look. "We might not be able to get in. The convention starts tomorrow."

Shawn wasn't listening. "What would cause two identical holes on a neck... " He gave a jovial laugh. "Since, of course, vampires don't exist. Or at least they shouldn't. Unless they're Kate Beckinsale."

"A handclaw," John said. "I've seen it happen before."

Gus made a horrified face at John's comment, but he slowly nodded. "Oh yeah. Like what General Shagura's character uses on Starscape."

"Gus, that show hasn't even started yet... and you already know the characters?"

"Yeah, Shawn, I already know the characters. So? General Shagura is an alien warlord who also happens to be a Japanese ninja."

"I'm going to forget you said that just now, but how can you be alien and Japanese? That doesn't even make sense."

John sighed. Sometimes their back and forth quips were too much. And the two hadn't even noticed that they were already parked in front of the convention center.

"We're here." John announced loud enough to cover their highly immature banter.

Soon the three were out of the car and were crossing the semi-full parking lot.

"This better work," Gus said, trying to hide his excitement. He was going to see a behind-the-scenes Sci-Con.

Just as the three walked up to the large front doors, they opened. A man wearing a VIP pass, large black sunglasses and a Matrix t-shirt stopped them.

"Sorry guys, the convention starts tomorrow."

Shawn was the first to speak. "Steve sent us here."

The man looked skeptical. "You know Steve?"

"We're... "

"Technicians to check the pyrotechnics on the uh.. Space Odyssey exhibit," John interjected.

Gus smiled in agreement with his two friends.

It looked almost as if they were going to have to find another way in, but the doorman almost looked relieved. "Well, you guys don't really look like technicians."

Just then John realized that wearing flip-flops might have been a give away.

The doorman continued, "But thank God you guys are here. We were worried that we'd have to scrap the whole thing. Kubrick fans would be pissed."

All four of them just stood there, not sure what to do next.

"Uh, well... time is money," Shawn said.

"Oh! Right..." The man opened the doors for them, and the three walked into the main corridor.

"How did that just work?" John asked in disbelief.

Shawn smirked. "One well known universal law. Everyone knows a Steve."

As they walked further into the building, the place was already scattered with people who were working extensively. Some were putting up signs while others were carrying boxes and memorabilia pieces.

Many of the workers were already dressed as a science-fiction character of some sort.

"Should we split up? Do we know what we're looking for?" Gus asked the other two.

Shawn was about to answer, until he noticed that John was distracted. Both Gus and Shawn turned to look at him.

John simply stared at a giant sign that brightly read, "_Wormhole X-Treme_!" Behind it was a circular object that deftly resembled a working Stargate. John had to blink a couple times to believe what he was seeing.

"What in the hell is that?" he finally asked.

Gus and Shawn made their way over to John, while Gus noted what John was looking at.

"Oh that show?" He laughed a bit. "It was pretty much a joke. Some how incorporating yet ignoring the limitations of Einstein's theory of relatively while using wormholes or gates to get to other planets in our galaxy. It was pretty cheesy."

"_That's_ cheesy, but General Shakira the Japanese warlord and cruise ship captain isn't?" Shawn asked, clearly disappointed in his friend.

After blinking a few times, John seemed to shake off the creepy feeling Wormhole X-treme gave him.

Before Gus could retort to Shawn, John interrupted them.

"Guys, don't you have work to do?"

* * *

Sorry this was so long in coming. Thank you for reading and please, let me know what you think. 

One reviewer (_**playing13dead**_) said that Shawn and John are canon half-brothers. I think it's fun! Anyone else feel that way? lol

**_aislinn _**- Thanks! Glad you are enjoying this... Yeah, the murder is some what alien related. :D

**_kat_**- Thank you! Yeah Henry can be a jerk. He'll meet up with John soon. As for Rodney... well you'll just have to see. :)


	5. Nerds and Murder

I'm so bad, I know. I so did not mean for this chapter to take so long. I really apologize. Won't happen again! Thank you to everyone for so wonderfully leaving feedback, I really appreciate it. And I will add the next chapter as soon as possible:)

Special thanks to Geeky BMWW Fan for being my uber beta. Love ya, friend!

And thank yous to Kippling Croft and Alexis Seven for helping me out with ideas. You guys rock!!

_Disclaimer_: Neither Stargate Atlantis or Psych are mine. However, playing with the characters is fun.

* * *

_**Chapter Five: Between Nerds and Murder**_

------

The hall they walked down, not to mention the entire building, was overly busy. Lighting people, staff, technicians... everyone filled the area getting ready for the long weekend of nerds and more nerds.

And yet, Gus and Shawn seemed oblivious as they discussed and dissected, and, at times, argued over everything and nothing. All while John trailed behind them slowly.

With his hands stuffed into the pockets of his board shorts, he silently wondered how anyone could stick around with the two of them for more than 24 hours. That is, without yelling at them or threatening their lives in some way.

"And by the way. It's General Shugura. Not Shakira, Shawn," Gus commented, giving his friend a look.

Shawn then gave Gus the _same_ look. "Oh, but I'm sure his hips don't lie..."

"Seriously. Don't you two _have_ work to do?" John interrupted finally. "This isn't as fun for me. I'm on vay-cay-shun." He hoped drawing out the last word would help sink it into their brains.

Shawn gave his brother a reassuring nod. "No worries, bro. I'm figuring this thing out..."

On the other hand, John was having a somewhat decent time with them. But when he realized that he could be doing countless other things that made his little holiday worthwhile, well,... he felt the need to complain. Just a little.

And the idea of Wormhole X-treme made him slightly curious. Or maybe he was slightly worried.

Either way, he'd have to learn more about it first.

Shawn stopped for a moment after passing the commissary, which had its doors wide open. A throng of busy convention workers were setting up a coffee stand. Or two.

"That looks familiar..."

Gus looked over to where Shawn was staring. One of the coffee workers was wearing the same mask the dead body wore.

John sauntered up behind them, and checked it out alongside Gus.

"Interesting," he quipped. The fact that the mask _still_ resembled a Wraith's head made him question the SGC's tight hold on information.

First the mask. And now Wormhole X-treme.. What was next? Aliens with parasite problems and a fetish for Egyptian mythology?

It was time for Shawn to work his magic.

He walked quickly to the stand and smiled at the guy. "Nice mask, buddy..."

"Uh, thanks. Are you here to help?" The guy asked.

"No, we already did our work. Heard there was a coffee stand and we wanted to see if it was open yet."

The guy shook his head, making the tentacles on the mask move a bit. "Not yet. It'll open tomorrow along with the rest of the convention."

Shawn frowned while looking over the menu. "Darn!" He looked back at the masked worker. "Wow. An Americano for three fifty. That's practically _murder_..."

The guy just stared at him. "Uh, yeah..."

"I mean, they really prey on the public here. It's killer."

"Right, uh..." the guy then pulled his mask off, revealing a pasty, relatively normal looking nerd. Nothing overly special. He looked as though he couldn't have hurt fly. "Look, I've uh.. . got to get back to work..."

John stepped in a moment, displaying a disarming smile. "Can I see your mask? I'd love to buy one for my brother and his friend."

The guy seemed to lighten up a bit. "Sure, yeah... it's my own design. I'm starting my own sci-fi comic series about a vampiric alien race. I get to display it for the first time to the general public tomorrow."

John looked over the mask for a moment while he heard Shawn whisper to Gus, "And by general public he means thirty-five year olds who live with their mothers... "

Checking over the mask, John noticed a 'Phil and Justin' scrawled on the inside with a copy-right next to it.

John handed it over. "Thanks, we'll check it out tomorrow. Sounds interesting. What was your name?"

The guy took the mask back and became slightly suspicious. "Uh, m-my names Phil. Phil Matthews..."

"Thanks, Phil," John said with a wave as the three said their goodbyes.

With shifty eyes, Phil hurriedly walked away from his station and was soon lost in a crowd of workers.

After he was gone, Shawn leaned into them like it was a football huddle. "It's him."

Gus raised a brow. "Phil the nerd? He seems harmless."

John nodded grimly. "I think Shawn's right."

Gus now turned his attention to the taller of the brothers. "And why do you think that?"

"It's a hunch..." John was now excited that he was in the middle of solving a murder. He turned to Shawn. "Call that guy who doesn't like you. What's his name?"

Gus and Shawn said in unison, "Lassiter."

"Yes. Him. Ask him if they've identified the body yet. Ask if his name was Justin."

Shawn gave him a look. "Justin? Was that a name you randomly pulled out of the air? Do you have Timberlake on the brain?"

"The name inside of the mask... the copy-right... it was Phil and Justin."

Gus smirked. "So, Phil the nerd didn't want Justin reaping all of the benefits, whether shared or not."

"I was thinking along the same lines..."

"Or maybe it was an accident," Gus said distantly. "Or perhaps Phil just wanted to off him."

Shawn shook his head. "Didn't you notice?"

Both John and Gus looked over at him. "Notice what?"

"Phil the nerd's scrape on his arm. It was almost the same perfect distance apart as the two holes on Timberlake's neck." Shawn then dramatized the situation by sticking an imaginary weapon in his arm and scraping it across his arm.

John was impressed. He couldn't remember Phil's outfit, let alone what his arms looked like. Shawn was better than he thought.

"Call Lassiter, Shawn."

Shawn dialed the number, "Hello, Lassi, my friend!"

Apparently, Lassiter grumbled something over the other line, and Shawn simply ignored it.

"So, you're already here? Have you identified the body yet? Is his name Timberlake? Whoops! Sorry! I mean, is it Justin?"

Shawn nodded and then his face looked grim. "I think we've already seen him."

Shawn hung up, and John asked what the other man had said.

"The finger prints at the docks belong to a Phil Matthews."

Gus shook his head in disgust. "How can a nerd like him have a police record already?"

"Looks can be deceiving," John said. And how true that was...

Shawn shrugged. "The fashion police, no doubt."

John nudged Shawn and then gave him a look, which was a very Gus like thing to do.

"We need to get Phil the nerd, before he gets spooked and leaves," Gus stated hurriedly. "Hopefully he hasn't already."

* * *

After questioning workers, not many knew about Phil, but a handful remembered him. 

Mainly the coffee people.

The three soon figured out that Phil was working on his set in the warehouse area of the center.

So they took off to the lower, secluded area of the convention center.

The closer they got to the warehouse, the emptier the place seemed. In fact, hardly anyone was around.

John was glad he was there to protect his brother and his friend. Despite what Shawn and Gus thought about nerds, John knew not to judge a person by their outward appearance.

Who knew what Phil the nerd..., er rather Phil, was capable of.

"This place is getting kind of creepy." Gus had stated the obvious.

"Well, Lassi and Jules are here. Somewhere."

At the end of the corridor, John opened the steel door and peered in. An endless supply of nerdom was everywhere.

Tables, chairs, sets, props. It was stock full.

John saw a sign for Wormhole X-treme and made a face at it.

The area seemed empty. And quiet. And creepy.

"Phil?" Gus called out. He moved closer to John.

"Hey, Philly!" Shawn exclaimed loudly. "We're here to help you, bud!"

"Have you ever solved a case this fast before?" John asked in a low whisper. "I mean... we don't have the complete evidence... but..."

The evidence they needed came out from around the corner. Phil, now looking slightly un-nerdy and wielding a semi-automatic hand gun, glared at them.

"Don't even _think_ about moving."

Gus gasped and held his hands up. Shawn stared at him blankly, while John merely narrowed his eyes.

"Easy, Phil. You don't have to do this." The strength in John's voice was unwavering. If only he could count the times he had had a gun pointed at him.

If only he _had_ a dollar for every time a gun had been pointed at him...

"You knew about Justin didn't you?"

"No." Which was the complete truth. Or a half-truth at least.

"Phil, we don't know what's going on..." Shawn said slowly, adding a smile. "We're here to help you. We know just as much about Justin Timberlake as you do..."

"SHUT UP!" Phil moved in closer, and John wished for Shawn to stay quiet. For once. "I have a police scanner. You're that psychic detective... I recognize you. Well maybe you can _for-see_ that you're not leaving this room alive."

John knew Phil the nerd was quite unstable. He wasn't thinking clearly and he was reacting on emotion. That was a bad combination.

Without moving much, John shifted and looked Phil directly in the eye. "Don't finish it like this Phil. It's not worth it."

Phil motioned his hand towards the wall. "The janitor's closet. Get in it. Now!"

And so they did. Gus half-squealed and filed in first. Followed by Shawn. John stared their gun wielding nerd down as he walked backwards into the room.

The room was dark and dank, and smelled like old mop water. Phil had made sure to lock the door behind them. They heard the jingling of a ring of keys.

Shawn finally whispered, "Dude, Phil has keys?"

Just another odd thing to add to the list.

"I need a vacation," Gus finally stated. He sounded highly pissed. But still scared.

"I'm _on_ vacation," John bemoaned.

"I'm swearing off Comic cons," Shawn commented dryly. He fished for his phone from his pocket and flipped it open. "At least I have service in here."

He dialed Lassiter and waited for the answer.

This was _so_ not what he was expecting. John could have been killed. On vacation. At a science fiction convention.

He decided it was only fun in the sun from here on out.

As he stood there, his eyes were starting to adjust to the darkness in the room. John saw a outline of someone. And walked into him.

"Ooph! Easy, Shawn!" It was Gus.

"I'm John."

"Oh."

Just then, John felt something buzzing on his butt. For a second he had no idea what was going on. And it dawned on him. It was his cell phone in his back pocket.

John pulled it out and stared at it. The number was strange. It seemed fake. _000-000-0000_.

Still, he decided to answer it. Unsure who could be on the other end, John walked to the door to get out of earshot of the other two.

"Hello?"

"Colonel Sheppard?" The voice was male. Also oddly familiar. He couldn't quite place it.

Still, this wasn't a civilian calling.

"This is he."

"Sheppard, this is Colonel Caldwell..." _What the? _Why was he calling?

"Colonel, I'm surprised to hear from you...You called at an interesting time."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your vacation, but we needed to get a hold of you immediately." Before John could ask why, Caldwell offered a brief explanation. "Atlantis is under attack... It's the Wraith," Something John had deduced. He was afraid of that happening. "We rigged away to get you there. Fast."

"Now? I mean... I'm sort of..."

"Sheppard! Atlantis needs its military commander. Not to mention, we need someone to man the chair. As soon as humanly possible."

Oh, great. "Yes, sir."

"The Daedalus is orbiting Earth now. Once we beam you, we're redirecting you to the gate bridge. Which then you will be directly beamed to a jumper. From there on, you'll know what to do." Caldwell paused for a moment. "We have your location... Santa Barbara, Green Street. You're in some building."

John rolled his eyes. "Yes, I am."

"Are you in a secure area?"

John felt like asking if it mattered. Instead he simply replied, "Yes."

With that, he was beamed away. Of course, Shawn and Gus would wonder where he went and speculate endlessly. They'd also make some conspiracy as to what the white light was.

It'd be a story that would last forever. A story he'd be bombarded with the next time John would see them. And, of course, he wanted to go back. He already regretted leaving his stuff.

John touched down to the Daedalus and not a second more had passed before he was beamed directly to the Stargate bridge and into a Puddle Jumper.

It was an odd sensation. One moment he had been stuffed into a dark closet with Shawn and Gus. The next moment he was sitting in the pilot's seat and watching a large gate power up before him.

John grimaced and leaned into the chair. He was still wearing flip flops, and the keys to his rental were safely in his pocket. The car was now stuck in the convention parking lot, only to most likely get towed away in a day or two.

Once the sequence was finished, John blasted through the Stargate. The vast, empty Pegasus galaxy space greeted him on the other side. It was time to set it into motion. John punched coordinates to the closest gate and the little ship jumped into hyperspace.

John let out a well-needed, heavy sigh.

He looked over his clothes and decided he should change before he got there. There might have been something in the back.

He stood up and walked over to the door leading to the back compartment of the jumper. With a swipe of his hand, it opened immediately.

And then his jaw went slack and could have hit the floor. John stared ahead of him to the point where his eyes could have dried out.

Shawn and Gus were holding each other like they were saying their final goodbyes.

"Oh. No."

* * *

_Daedalus-_

"Oh. No." Lindsey Novak had noticed a strange energy surge during the beaming process.

John Sheppard had been beamed just fine, but for some reason, the computer said that two other life forms went with him.

It could have been acting up, or they had a problem. A big problem.

Dr. Novak looked over at Hermiod and he already knew.

"Two civilians went with the Colonel," the Asgard deadpanned.

Lindsey bit her lip. "I was afraid of that." She started towards the bridge, "I'll tell Colonel Caldwell."

* * *

Ahh! Let me know what you thought! Was it too much? You can be oh-so honest. 

Thank you again for reading! You're the best!

To the anonymous:

_**harpie20**_- Thank you:)

_**C.C**_.- wow, thanks! That's a wonderful compliment.

_**Kelly**_- cool, thanks! Whump is great indeed... thank you!

_**Lissa**_- Here is more! I hope you like it so far, thanks for reviewing.


	6. We're In Space!

Wow! You guys rock with feedback, I love it! Thank you! I wanted to be quick with the update. And I hope to keep it rolling. Thanks so much!

Geeky- Thank you for the uber beta! Even though these fandoms are not well known to you... you're the best!! I knight you Dame MVC.RO the First.

KipplingCroft- Thanks for the help as well!

_**Disclaimer:**_ Not mine! Well, the writings are, but the characters aren't. :D

* * *

Chapter Six- _We're In Space, Shawn! Duh!_

For at least two full minutes, the three occupants in the Jumper shared a blinking and staring contest.

John finally broke the silence. "Uh..." He wasn't sure what to do next.

It wasn't their fault that they were there, he quickly deduced. However, it wasn't going to be easy explaining this... to _anyone_.

He was rapidly configuring ways to blame everything on Colonel Caldwell. It must have been some glitch in the Asgard beaming technology on board the Daedalus, since it seemed as though every person in the room had been beamed with him. John was at least thankful that the entire warehouse hadn't been beamed, otherwise they would have had to figure out what to do with that lunatic murderer.

"Guys... you alright?"

Shawn and Gus finally pulled apart.

Gus was quick to pat down his torso. "Am I dead?"

"No, you're far from dead." Actually Gus was far from _everything._ At least one million light years, or so.

"What happened? One second we were in a stuffy, smelly closet. The next we're..." Shawn paused to look around. "We're...in something that looks like a really nice short bus."

Gus gasped as he looked passed John. "What is _that?!"_

John turned his head to look behind him. "Oh that? That's uh..."

"That looks like lightspeed," Gus stated, his eyes widening.

Gus and his sci-fi shows. Of course he'd recognize something.

Shawn laughed, "Gus, don't be silly," but then he also looked passed John and gave a quick nod while raising a brow. "No seriously, it does look like lightspeed."

"We are dead, aren't we?" Shawn finally asked John.

"No, we're _not_ dead," John sighed. "We're... just... uh in space."

And that's when Gus and Shawn shared a good-natured laugh. They paused briefly, but then started up again when they looked at each other.

John didn't crack a smile.

Gus cleared his throat. "No. Really. Where are we?"

John rolled his eyes. He knew this was going to be harder than he thought.

"We're in _outer space_." Hopefully that would work.

Gus walked past John cautiously. "That's not possible..."

Shawn stared at John for a few moments. "You work for the Air Force. HA! All a farce!" He pointed at his brother for a moment. "Are you a Cylon? Gus, help me out here... that's what they're called, right? Cylons?"

"Shawn, I thought you hated Battlestar Galactica," Gus said from somwhere behind John.

He simply shrugged. "Starbuck had dreamy hair. And besides," he refocused on his brother, "what do you _really_ do? I don't think you're telling us the whole truth."

Oh, boy. This would be tough to clarify. "I _am_ in the Air Force. And... this is going to take a lot of explaining, and since I'm not going to knock both of you out and make you forget what you've seen so far, I'm going to let you tag along and see for yourself." John took in a breath after that. "Even if I get into trouble..."

Meanwhile, Gus had been poking around the front area of the jumper, not paying the other two any attention. Shawn finally brushed past John to join his friend, and, much to John's dismay, eventually took a seat in the colonel's chair.

He watched horrified as Shawn almost pressed something he didn't want him to touch.

"Shawn..." he warned. If John had the ancient gene, it was obvious that Shawn could have it as well.

"No worries, bro." Shawn turned and grinned at his brother, while pointing at the DHD device on the front panel. "What does this do?"

John marched over and pulled Shawn out of his chair. "You'll find out soon enough."

Gus was staring mesmerized at the blue cosmic glow of the hyperspace. "We really are in space, aren't we?" he asked dreamily.

John nodded. "Yep. Technically we're in a different galaxy."

Shawn was about to open his mouth to discredit what John had just told them, but he seemed to know that his brother was telling the honest truth.

Instead, he continued to stare out the viewing screen with his friend. "The final frontier..."

Gus snapped back to reality for a moment. "March 15, 2003, Catalina Island... I know I saw something, Shawn. And you told me it was a kite."

"Are you now saying it was an alien kite?"

"No! It was a UFO. I'm sure of it."

"Catalina Island... wasn't that for the Plein Air Painting Exhibit?"

"Yes, but that's beside the point, Shawn."

While Shawn and Gus talked over ...whatever it was they were discussing, John was alerted on screen that the coordinates had been reached.

"How can a kite have flashing lights?"

"Now it sounds like a helicopter," Shawn said with a smirk.

John took it out of hyperspace and flew to the Stargate orbiting the planet and that silenced both his brother and Gus immediately.

They stared at the blanket of stars and the giant planet before them.

"Wow..." At least one of them said.

John entered the Atlantis sequence on the dhd panel and the sizable gate before them powered up with a blue explosion.

Gus and Shawn stayed quiet as they watched in awe.

John sped through the gate and before they knew it, they were on the other side, facing the gate room of Atlantis.

Over a series seconds, Weir giving him an affirming nod and a relieved look graced her features. The area around her seemed quite busy, something was going on that was for sure.

Weir, however, did notice another person sitting in the co-pilot's seat, but John was quick to depart upward to dock the jumper.

"What... just... happened?" This time it was Shawn.

"Well," John explained, glancing his direction. "We're here. And I'm still wearing flip flops."

"Where is here?"

John ignored him.

Gus had taken a seat behind John's chair, and he watched the colonel get up and walk toward the door in the back and open it.

John looked over at the two of them. "Are you coming? Or what?"

Gus and Shawn exchanged nervous glances.

"M-maybe you can, um... leave us here, and you can take us home whenever you're done," Gus replied. He forced a toothy grin.

Shawn stood up. "Uh, I guess we're coming." He looked over at his friend. "We're boldly going where no man has gone before..."

"I don't have time for this, you guys." John took off down the ramp of the jumper and Gus and Shawn cautiously followed.

John met up with Major Lorne who happened to be waiting for him along with two marines at the entrance of the docking platform.

Lorne gave a hurried explanation after greeting Sheppard. "One wraith cruiser and plenty of darts. Not sure how they found our location, but our ZPM is running out of power. We're focusing on two alternatives; use the chair the best we can or keep the shield up. But we can't do both."

John looked grim. "Is that so?"

Lorne nodded. "Doctors McKay and Zelenka are doing the best they can with..." Lorne looked down and saw Sheppard's outfit. "Sir, why are you wearing thongs?"

"Thongs?" Sheppard gave Major Lorne a weary look.

"Oh, uh..." Major Lorne smiled sheepishly. "Where I come from, that's what we call flip flops... Uh, sorry about that."

John sighed. "I was on vacation."

"Oh that's right, I..." Lorne looked behind the colonel. "You brought friends."

John panicked. For at least a few fleeting seconds during Lorne's briefing, he had forgotten all about Gus and Shawn.

John swiveled around and saw them standing there, not knowing what to do.

At that, Sheppard turned back to face Lorne and nodded. "Yep, that would be my half-brother, Shawn, and his friend Gus." He shook his head. "It's a really long story."

"I can see that." Lorne gave a brief hello to the two. Shawn smiled and waved and Gus merely continued to stare. Lorne then added, "We don't have much time, Colonel..."

John took in a sharp breath and turned to the two behind him. "Just follow me. We can figure this out later. And don't touch _anything_!"

* * *

Santa Barbara Police Department -- Milky Way Galaxy- 

Lassiter had had enough of the tiresome explanation from the man sitting before him.

"So, you're telling me that you have no idea where the bodies are?" Lassiter narrowed his eyes. "You were the last one to see them, weren't you?"

The man in the seat swallowed hard. "I have no idea what you're talking about..."

Juliet walked into the interrogation room and closed the door soundlessly behind her. The man looked over at her nervously while trying to keep his cool.

Lassiter acknowledged and she nodded. "Prints match everything."

He smirked at Juliet and turned back to the scum in the seat who seemed overly frightened now. "We have enough evidence to throw you away for life, Mr. Matthews. All I need is a little information. Maybe we'll go easy on you. Shawn Spencer, Burton Guster and a John Sheppard have gone missing, and you were the last to see them... " He trailed off, hoping the perpetrator would catch his drift.

Phil Matthews stared at the two cops and then refocused on Lassiter. "Look, I'll tell you whatever you want. But I swear I locked them in the janitor's closet. I didn't do anything with them!"

"O'Hara, can I speak with you for a moment..."

Juliet, who seemed slightly distraught about the entire day, walked out with Lassiter and they stood in front of the one-way glass.

"I'm concerned about Shawn and Gus," she said finally. Her face was clearly etched with worry.

"Look, I have a feeling this is all part of Spencer's 'big plan'." Lassiter made sure to use hand quotes. "I mean, c'mon they can take care of themselves. And certainly the colonel big brother of his can protect them. If our guy here got to them, I know they're still alive.. He has them somewhere."

Juliet nodded slowly in agreement and let out a small sigh. "Well, we caught Phil after he stole John Sheppard's rental car from the parking lot." She motioned to the man sitting in the chair. "In fact, he's wearing one of John's shirts. He knows more than he's telling."

"Exactly," Lassiter said as he stared at their perp. "And puce is _not_ his color."

He noticed Juliet's down-trodden face, and he did the best he could to comfort her.. "Don't worry, O'Hara. Spencer and his friend will show up." He smiled briefly. "We've got this one in the bag."

* * *

Let me know what you think! I shall update soon! 

_**Michelle**_- Thank you!!


	7. Wraith Are Like Mummies

Heylo everyone! I apologize at this long haitus. Hopefully I'm back on the bandwagon. Please forgive me and thank you for your patience. I really appreciate all your feedback and thank you to all those that read this silly-ness! )

Special thank you to Geeky BMWW Fan for betaing this. You are the best my friend!

And also a special thank you to Kippling Croft for reading it over once and giving me a thumbs up.

_Disclaimer:_ None of the above is owned by meh. Just the strange plot bunnies that took over

* * *

_Chapter Seven: Wraith Are Like Mummies; Without that Toilet Paper Problem_

"Wormhole Extreme. Wormhole Extreme!" Gus exclaimed to Shawn; Shawn was now giving him an incredulous look. The entire group had been wordlessly following the colonel down various hallways. But of course, a few things finally dawned on Gus. And he had to share them out loud.

John, however, couldn't agree with him more. But he remained silent.

"You do realize that we've_ left_ the comic-con, right?" Shawn asked.

Gus glared over at his friend. "Yeah." He looked around him. "For some reason, everything had looked so... I don't know... familiar. It's strange. But then I figured it out."

Shawn held up his hand. "As far as I know, this is a nerd free zone." He then pointed to his friend and gave him a mock frown. "How does it feel to be a minority?"

"I'm black," Gus said with an eye roll.

Shawn shook his head. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Seriously!" John stopped and pivoted on his heel to stare them down. Having them along was slowly grating on his nerves. Sure, he was stuck with them, but he could make this easier on himself.

Lorne, on the other hand, wasn't sharing John's sentiments. He was actually laughing at Shawn and Gus as if they were the comic relief needed in their dire situation.

John pointed to one of the Marines. "Escort them to the cafeteria."

"What? Why?" Shawn gaped. "We'll be good, we promise. We want to see you in action!"

John switched his gaze to Shawn. "Sorry, you're going to have to sit this one out."

"If we're attacked by aliens, I'm holding you accountable," Gus said firmly while pointing.

"You'll be fine. ... And they have pineapple sorbet," John sighed.

This prompted Shawn to perk up. "Dole?"

"Dole."

Shawn gestured to the Marine closest to them. "Lead the way!"

As John watched the three walk off, he felt as though a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

He also heard Lorne chuckle as they continued down to the chair room. "They are pretty interesting, sir."

"Interesting isn't the right word."

"How are you going to explain them being here?"

That was the real question, however, John didn't have an answer for it.

John pressed his lips together and shook his head. "I have no idea."

As Sheppard and Lorne turned the corner and entered the chair room, a wave of familiarity hit them. He hadn't been gone long enough to really miss Atlantis, but in all actuality, he had. Feeling at ease, John marched over to the chair and took a seat. The power hadn't been directed to it yet, so it hadn't responded to his touch.

"Once you use this sequence... we'll redirect the Zed-PM power simultaneously," Rodney's voice said from somewhere.

Rodney and Zelenka had been working on the power supply, and they now occupied the chair room as well.

Rodney stopped once he noticed Sheppard's hair poking over the back of the chair.

"Hello, Colonel."

John nodded to him as McKay walked over. "Rodney. Ready to do this thing?"

"Ready when you are."

"Just so you know, Colonel, once we direct the ZPM to power the chair... the shield will be non-functional..." Zelenka added pointedly.

Rodney sighed. "He knows, Radek. Just do it all already."

Zelenka, while glaring at Rodney, tapped his Lantean device in his hand and immediately in a low hum, the chair came to life.

John closed his eyes and felt the chair feed through him, responding to his every move.

"So I heard there was a mishap on the Daedelus and you brought someone along with you," Rodney grinned. "Is it a girl?"

Why and how did news travel so fast? It was mind boggling.

Biting his lip in frustration, John had been aiming at the first dart, but Rodney's impish voice caused him to miss. The vision of Shawn and Gus eating sorbet in the cafeteria, instead, filled his brain. He also had a few thoughts of clobbering McKay at the fist chance he could get.

"McKay!" John opened his eyes to glare up at him. "Do you mind?"

Rodney smiled apologetically. "Sorry, sorry..." He held up his hands at that.

John refocused his thoughts while closing his eyes and returned to the darts patrolling outside the city. Now that the shield was down, it was worrisome. But hopefully he could get to them in time.

John shot at the first dart like an expert marksman, and it immediately exploded. Feeling relieved that the first one had been taken care of, John turned to the other two darts. However, the strangest thing happened. The first dart committed suicide. Or it had a horrible pilot at its helm, since it collided into the tallest pier, exploding into nothingness. The strength of the Atlantian structure hardly budged at the foreign object pelting it.

John shrugged off the strange feeling he got and he switched to the very last dart, but it too rammed itself into a high rise of the city... obliterating itself.

"Just as I thought..." He heard Radek say grimly. Rodney must have been in agreement with him.

"They've beamed themselves into the city." Rodney's voice now echoed a slight panic. Lorne was already at work with that, rounding up his team and scattering them throughout the city as he left the chair room.

Instead of fretting over their newest issue, John remained focused and thought towards the hive ship out in the atmosphere. It was a long shot, no pun intended, but he had to try.

Keeping his head as clear as he could, John powered up the chair and weapons platform to its limit and sent the fiery projectiles out into space. Even while flying through the atmosphere, the projectiles hadn't lost their momentum. He sent out six, the most he could, and he focused on the weak areas of the enormous ship threatening them.

John had practically maimed the ship. It started maneuvering out of the way to gain lightspeed. John wasn't going to let the ship leave, since the threat of other Wraith knowing their location loomed in the back of his mind.

Focusing so intently that his brain started to ache, John sent another two projectiles toward the ship. The last one that ripped through the ship's hull added the most damage. The feeling of victory embraced him as the ship exploded into a fiery haze.

Gasping loudly, John depowered the chair and stood up along with it.

Rodney was looking at him wide-eyed. "You destroyed the hive ship."

He was in shock himself. He felt a hand patting him on the back. John looked over to see that it was a smiling Radek Zelenka.

"Wonderfully executed, Colonel."

"Thanks I ...uh..." John stopped. There were Wraith in the city.

McKay nodded when he realized what the look on John's face meant. "There are at least two Wraith somewhere in Atlantis."

"Oh my God." John stood up immediately and started running down the hall in his flip flops. "Shawn and Gus!"

McKay and Zelenka took off after him.

"Who are Shawn and Gus?" Radek asked his colleague.

Rodney shrugged.

* * *

Shawn shoveled another spoonful of pineapple sorbet into his mouth. "This is so good. It's like Disneyland good."

Gus raised a brow and looked over at his friend. He was busy checking out the architecture of the cafeteria. "Disneyland good?"

"Yeah, you know. The Tiki Room? Remember? And they have that pineapple stand out front." Shawn seemed to be salivating at the mere thought of it. He also started humming the Tiki Room song.

"You would remember that," Gus scoffed. He walked over to the window while still holding his hardly touched chocolate frozen yogurt. The sun was shining brightly outside and he could get a better look of where they were sent to.

Gus glanced at the cafeteria entrance and eyed the Marine standing guard. They weren't going anywhere soon, that was for certain.

"Is it just me, or do you feel like a prisoner?"

"Hmm?" Shawn looked up at him, spoon in mouth.

"Never mind." Gus turned back to the window and gazed out the oversized window. The outdoors happened to be calling his name, but he had no idea where on Earth... or rather in the universe he was. At least he was safe inside a cafeteria. He paused to study the strange buildings and odd landscape that engulfed the area. Or rather, lack of landscape. It seemed as though the entire place was surrounded by water.

"It's like the entire place is surrounded by water," Shawn said from right next to him.

With a jump, Gus yelped and looked over at where Shawn _had_ been sitting and then looked back at his friend. "Shawn! You scared me."

"You're awfully jumpy." Shawn looked Gus in the eye. "You don't have some weird alien disease do you?"

"I don't know! Maybe I do! For all I know, we're all dead and this is the afterlife, Shawn!" Gus narrowed his eyes at his friend. "And would you stop humming the Tiki Room song?!"

Immediately, Shawn and Gus then stopped what they were doing and looked over at the Marine standing guard. He could overhear everything they were saying, but he looked more than bored.

Gus leaned over to his friend and whispered, "Do you think this is some conspiracy? Maybe we're all still on earth and we're under mind control or something."

"Mind control!" Shawn whispered back. "We're not at the Scientology headquarters."

Gus shook his head. "What are you talking about?" He asked quietly.

"Never mind," Shawn answered still in whisper.

They both, again, turned to look at the Marine who hadn't moved a muscle and they returned back to staring out the large window.

"I just wish something would really prove that this is another galaxy and not some weird freaky dream," Gus retorted.

As if in answer to his demand, a stealthy, pointy alien ship streaked across the front of the window, its engines roaring loudly. Both Shawn and Gus screamed in shock at the sight of it. They also watched it ram itself into the long pier just meters from where they were standing. It exploded into oblivion right before their eyes.

Shawn and Gus turned to look at each other. And almost without another word, they zoomed over to the Marine.

He was already busy speaking with someone over a com-link in his ear. "Understood, sir."

Finished with his conversation, he shook his head. "Sorry, guys. I'm going to have to leave you here. I'm under orders given to me by Major Lorne. Don't move."

With that, the Marine turned to the door and it swished opened and he closed it immediately.

Gus was still in shock. By the time he finally got out the words he meant to say, it was too late.

"You're leaving us in here?!" Gus asked frantically. But the Marine was already gone.

Shawn had ventured back to the window. He looked out and saw nothing out of the ordinary. Other than the fact that _everything_ looked out of the ordinary.

"Gus, c'mon... it's fine. Look."

"Shawn, you will not get me near that window and I certainly will not..." Gus stopped. Another explosion could be heard. It wasn't as close at the first, but it still silenced him..

"We're going to die!" Gus was now more than frantic.

Shawn jogged over to him. He looked over at the cafeteria kitchen. Even that seemed empty. It was as if everyone had been called to duty.

He eyed the door for a moment. "Maybe we should get out of here. You know... take a look around."

That seemed to frighten Gus further. He shook his head. "We were told to stay here. I think that's a better idea. Maybe we should stay still John comes to get us."

Shawn laughed loudly. "Since when do we take orders from Major What's His Face?"

"Since it involved space ships exploding in front of our eyes, Shawn!"

Shawn wasn't paying attention anymore. He switched his focus onto the door and eyed it for a moment. With a swift motion of his hand in front of the door's sensor, it swished opened.

Gus took in a lungful of air.

Shawn was the first to poke his head out into the hallway. All was clear..

"It looks fine." He ventured out further and glanced around. He motioned Gus to follow him. Gus shook his head at first, but Shawn became aggressive with motioning him to follow.

"Don't be such a wuss!" He said in a loud whisper.

"I am not a wuss!" Gus answered in just as loud of a whisper. Still, even after that declaration, Gus tiptoed close to the door and looked out into the hallway. It seemed clear. Feeling slightly ok with the situation, Gus walked out into the hallway and took in a shallow breath.

"Now where?" He asked quietly.

Shawn looked in both directions. And, to Gus's dismay, he randomly picked one. "This way."

Eyeing the safe haven of the cafeteria one last time, Gus followed his friend rather closely. "Are you sure this is the right way? Nothing looks familiar."

Shawn made a face. "Oh, I'm sorry... I forgot you were the tour guide."

Gus rolled his eyes at that and Shawn continued further down the hallway. It didn't feel right, that was for certain.

The hallway was also eerily empty.

Gus swore he heard something behind him. "What was that?"

"What was what?"

"Never mind."

Letting out a sigh, Gus and Shawn walked further downward.

Gus heard it again, but he realized that it was his imagination playing with him. So he decided to ignore it, and also, because, he didn't want to look behind him and see that there was actually something there.

Shawn seemed grim. "I think we're going nowhere."

Gus was too scared to laugh in Shawn's face about that, so he simply nodded. He also heard the sound again. This time, the hair on the back of his neck stood up. He turned around, facing his fears, and glanced behind him.

The sight almost made him wet his pants.

Standing right behind them was a leather clad, pasty looking alien. He was much taller than the both of them and he looked as though he was extremely pissed off about something. Gus also couldn't help but notice that it reminded him of a mummy, and not in a good way.

Trying not to scream, Gus whimpered loudly instead and he reached for Shawn. He started poking him in the arm repeatedly.

"Dude, would you stop!"

Shawn at once turned around to see what Gus was looking at.

And his jaw went slack.

The alien hissed loudly at both at them and held up his hand at if it were a weapon on its own. "You two will give me the codes to the armory. Or you will be the first I feed upon!" His voice was more frightening than his face.

Shawn and Gus hardly budged. Gus let out some sort of squeal and Shawn was simply petrified.

The alien growled loudly and lunged for one of them, but it stopped short as it was shot in the back repeatedly by red energy bursts.

Shawn and Gus watched the thing fall and lay in a heap on the floor and then they looked up to see who had shot it. Their savior wasn't as reassuring.

He was just as tall as the alien and he had a wiry mane of dreads. He also held his gun up at the two of them, not taking the chance to lower it.

"Who are you?!" The wild man demanded.

Gus held his hands up and wouldn't move otherwise.

Shawn did the same. However he muttered under his breath, "there is no place like home, there is no place like home..."

* * *

What did you think? Let me know! And again, thank you for reading!

**_Michelle Morris- _**Wow, thank you so much! So glad you are liking this. ) And I so apologize that it has taken me awhile to get to this, I promise to keep up on this. Thank you again!

**_Janiqua-_** Thank you! I hope to incorporate Henry soon!

_**harpie20-**_ I couldn't agree with you more. James and Joe look a like, more so than the other brother... ol what's his name... Dave. lol Thank you for the review!

_**TMB-**_ Thank you! Hope you enjoy this update. )

_**not for lack of trying-**_ Thank you for the review. And 'Jedi' is on a bit of a hiatus, but I will finish it. I promise! )

_**amanda-**_ Thank you for your feedback. I so really appreciate it! D


	8. Explanations Maybe

_Disclaimer;_ SGA and Psych are not mine.

Hello! Sorry about the long wait everyone, thank you for your patience. I hope to keep on writing for this and keep the chapters coming. And I know that the leader of Atlantis has changed hands twice since I first posted this. First with Sam and now with Woolsey, but I'm going to avoid having to re-write certain sections and just keep it Weir. Hope that's ok!

Geeky BMWW Fan- Thank you, thank you for the beta! I give you your own personal Gus, to hang out with you and make you laugh! )

* * *

_Chapter Eight: Explanations Are In Order_

John had momentarily panicked after he realized that Shawn and Gus had escaped their cafeteria confines. And he purposefully ignored Radek and Rodney, who were unsuccessfully pestering him with questions.

"Colonel, who is this... Shawn? And Gus?"

"I thought you said you brought a girl! Am I right!?"

John jogged farther down the lonesome corridor, worry gnawing at his insides. If anything had happened to _either_ of them, how would he forgive himself? And more so, how would he explain the situation to a group of saddened and angry parents and friends?

The idea seemed more daunting than approaching the IOA in explaining a bout of 'friendly fire' or other nonsense.

He needed Shawn and Gus to return to Earth, as soon as possible. And in literally one piece.

_"Answer me!"_ A voice demanded, it sounded like Ronon. John could hear the Satedan just around the corner. _This does not bode well._ John's inner monologue caused him to panic further.

"Ronon! No! Ronon!"

As Ronon came into view, John could finally see the precarious scenario before him. Ronon was pointing his powered-up weapon directly at the two frightened individuals, namely Shawn and Gus.

John watched Ronon as he rolled his eyes slightly at the Colonel's intrusion.

"Yes, Sheppard?" Ronon asked, somewhat exasperated. "These two showed up after the Wraith beamed themselves onto Atlantis. Don't you find that suspicious?"

News travelled fast on Atlantis. But apparently, not that fast. It hadn't caught up with the former-Runner.

John sighed and stepped in front of his brother and his stone-stiff friend. "Put the weapon down, for the love of God. They're not Wraith and they're dressed like tourists." He turned around to give Shawn and Gus a reassuring nod. It immediately put Shawn at ease, and he fluidly returned to his former self.

Gus, on the other hand, was about to have a coronary.

Ronon seemed reluctant at first, but he did as he was told. Still somewhat puzzled, he raised a brow. "Do you know them?"

John grinned. "Ronon," he turned to gesture to his brother. "This is Shawn Spencer. He's my brother."

Shawn gave a half-wave while grinning lazily. "The one and only. Well, not really... There is Dave. Though, that's not really relevant. And technically..."

While Shawn rambled, Ronon watched, seemingly unimpressed. "He doesn't look like you."

Shawn smirked. "Oh, if I had a nickle..."

Gus might have agreed, or not. His rigid silence was starting to worry John.

"Besides, Dave's the lame one," Shawn whispered to his brother. John made a face.

"Wouldn't you say, Gus? Dave is lame? Yeah?" Shawn nudged his friend roughly. Burton Guster merely glared at him.

Still, Gus said nothing. And it didn't look as though he was going to anytime soon. Behind Ronon, Rodney and Radek were exchanging glances.

Rodney stepped forward, while smiling, ignoring the odd conversation that this 'Shawn' person seemed to be having with his mute friend. "I see a resemblance," McKay said, cocking his head to one side. "Maybeee..."

John patted Gus on the back. "And this is Gus, Shawn's best friend."

The corners of Gus' mouth might have moved in greeting. _Might have_ being the operative words.

"You see, uh..." John continued. "Due to, um, Daedalus complications..."

"They were beamed with you?" Ronon deadpanned.

"Exactly."

Shawn raised his hand to get every one's attention. "Can I just ask something?"

Everyone, which included Gus, turned to look at him.

Shawn then pointed to the fallen Wraith. "What in the hell is that? And why is its hair so nice? It's like a walking Pantene Pro-V commercial. For aliens."

At that, Ronon simply walked away while toting his now powered-down gun. Radek followed after him, muttering to himself that he forgot to deactivate the power to the chair.

Rodney, however, strolled over to further investigate the newcomers.

"Hoo boy," Rodney said, shaking his head, "I guess there is no reason to ... well, uh... beat around the bush. You've seen enough. ..." He then decidedly shook Shawn's hand, expressing that it was always _interesting_ to meet a Sheppard relative (John then wondered what Rodney meant by 'interesting'). "You have any embarrassing stories of our military commander you could share?"

Shawn laughed heartily at John's expense. "Do I ever. You name the time and place. And..."

"Ok, that's enough," John interrupted.

"Besides, anyone who Canadian is cool in my book," Shawn added, while smiling.

Rodney seemed unsure how Shawn knew that. "Uh, how did you..." "The patch, on your arm..."

Rodney looked down at his left shoulder and realized he was wearing the jacket displaying the flag of his heritage. It was a rare moment when Rodney McKay felt actually stupid. The moment only lasted a measly second or two. "Oh. Oh, right."

John grinned. "Rodney McKay's a genius, just in case you didn't know."

Shawn mirrored John's lop-sided smile. "You don't say."

McKay was already walking away. "Oh great! Just what I needed. A John-clone."

"He'll warm up to you. I think he likes you already, actually."

Concerned, John then looked over at the still-silent Guster.

Teyla's voice interrupted on the com-link. _"Colonel? The second Wraith is down. My team and I caught him in nearing the south entrance."_

John nodded. "Thanks, Teyla." He then ended the com while musing out loud. "Right, so I can't help but agree with McKay. It's not going to hurt anyone if you know what's going on here. And I'm sure Dr. Weir wouldn't mind..." He trailed off thinking about the dire consequences. Of course she _would_ mind. But lying blatantly to his brother and Gus seemed out of the question. Besides, he was more than aware that Shawn had figured out more than humanly possible anyway.

"You mean you don't have those flashy things that erase part of your memory? Particularly the part of the memory that holds the images of alien sightings and encounters?" Shawn asked.

"Are you asking me if we have something from Men in Black? No, no we don't have that."

Shawn smiled and turned to Gus. "Don't worry, you can be Will Smith. I'll be Tommy Lee Jones."

Gus was still quiet, while he narrowed his eyes at his friend.

John ignored them. It was something he was good at. "I guess explanations are in order. And Lorne has everything under control," John continued. "Why don't we all go for a drink in the cafeteria?"

Shawn smiled. "Sweet! I could use a some sort of chocolaty hot beverage. Perhaps oh... hot chocolate?" He turned to Gus, "Buddy?"

Gus nodded.

"One thing," Shawn asked, as he followed John down the hall, neither of them bothering to notice that Gus was skirting the dead Wraith as if it could come back to life at any given moment.

"Who's going to clean that up?" Gus asked in a whisper far too quiet for anyone to pick up on.

"Has this Ronon person had his rabies shot?" Shawn asked, sounding completely sincere.

John gave Shawn a look.

Gus was shaking his head, "Seriously? Is anyone going to clean that up?"

* * *

"Dave isn't lame. He's just rough around the edges."

Shawn mocked an understanding nod. "He never laughed at any of my jokes. And how about the time he called me a half-wit and ran me off of his lawn with a rake during the one and only family get together I was invited to?"

"Wait? He didn't do that, did he?"

"No, I think his wife did."

John made a face. "Ex-wife. Actually."

Shawn then grinned. "Wow, him too. That's almost sad."

"Don't remind me."

On a relatively different note, Gus seemed almost back to normal. He was walking alongside John, listening to every word and not adding too much to the conversation.

"He had a nice house though. That granite siding... wasn't it Oregonian river rock?"

"It wasn't river rock, it was sediment from western Washington, Shawn," Gus answered back in an authoritative voice. "Which reminds me, Dave owes me twenty bucks."

John looked over at Gus, clearly puzzled. "My brother owes you money?"

"During the same family get together, he bet me that I couldn't beat him at croquet." Gus then grinned slyly. "Proved him wrong. I should figure in what he owes me with interest."

"Dude, weren't you like... eleven? Or something?"

Gus became slightly smug. "Yes, but I was also captain of the croquet squad at school."

"Oh God, I tried ousting that from my memory," Shawn moaned.

Gus simply avoided Shawn's verbal slam. "Either way... that was a long time ago."

John sighed, "A very long time ago."

Earlier John had tried recalling happier times with his now scattered family. It was so long ago, it almost seemed unreal. And it saddened him greatly.

As soon as they entered the commissary, John had his two guests take a seat. Gus and Shawn seemed surprised at how busy and bustling the cafeteria was when compared to when they had abandoned it.

"Did this people come out of the wood work?" Shawn asked. "Even though there isn't any wood work in the area..."

John was already up to grab he and his accompaniment hot chocolates.

As he walked toward the queu in front of the beverage station, he couldn't help but allow a small smile to form. He hadn't spent time with Shawn for what felt like ages. The decade of not speaking with him had left John wishing he could have shared more of his life with him. Now was the time to rectify that.

_"Sheppard?"_ Weir's voice came through his com-link, breaking John from his thought process. Surprisingly, Weir sounded... very professional. It worried him. Slightly.

"This is Sheppard."

_"Fantastic job with destroying that hive ship. You came at just the right time. I'm sorry we had to disrupt your vacation."_

John was about to open his mouth and shrug off the compliment, but she was too quick with continuing.

_"However, I heard about what happened beforehand. Colonel Caldwell contacted me, expressing the situation. Is it true you brought two civilians back with you?"_

"I... well, yes. Still, it was an accident."

_"I understand that, Colonel. But there is more of a situation on our hands. Meet me in the conference room as soon as possible."_

"Anything you need me to prepare for?" John hated the waiting and guessing game when it came with the unexpected.

Elizabeth seemed hesitant to reply at first. _"The Daedalus won't be here from another week or so, and our ZPM is running low on power. Typical, I know. But you know what that means..."_

John knew exactly what she was hinting at. He was afraid something like this would happen.

Shawn and Gus weren't going anywhere anytime soon.

* * *

Again, so sorry about the hiatus. I hope to add more soon.

Thank you to all of the anonymous reviewers! I greatly appreciate your comments and feedback!

Thank yous to: _**mimi, Janiqua, reader, RNG, sgakaz**_


	9. No Problems, As of Yet

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

My beta is out of town, but I figured I could post it anyway. But it might be error ridden, so I apologize in advance. :D

Thanks to KipCroft for giving me the thumbs up.

* * *

_**Chapter Nine:**_ No Problems, As Of Yet

As John walked to Weir's office, he contacted Teyla via the com.

"Is there any way you could keep my brother and his friend company while I meet with Dr. Weir?"

Her pause indicated her slight shock to his sudden favor. "I had heard you brought someone back with you... But your brother? This is most interesting." John could hear the smile in her voice.

"It's only interesting till you've met him. And really, he's my half-brother." John wasn't sure why he had already divulged so much information to her, but it was easy confessing things to Teyla.

"Of course, Colonel, I will help you out."

"Thank you," he added before cutting the com connection. "They're in the commissary and I've left them at the table closest to the eastern wall. You'll probably recognize their clothing..."

John glanced down at his own clothes. He was still in flip flops.

"If I have any trouble, I'll be sure to contact you." He could already determine that this was most likely humorous to her. And why shouldn't it be? He was practically asking her to babysit. Besides, she was probably curious as to what a John Sheppard sibling would look like.

As John marched up the stairs adjacent to the gate room, Rodney sauntered up the side and joined him. "So, where did you leave them?"

"In the commisary. Teyla's going to... eh, 'watch' them," John answered.

Rodney raised an eyebrow. "Hm. Well, in any case, she'll find it funny. _Or _she'll drop them off at your room as soon as humanly possible."

John nodded. "That's a possibility. Too bad they won't be able to get in my room, since I haven't unlocked it yet."

Rodney was quiet in answering. "Uh, yeah..." He cleared his throat. "Anyway..."

"Wait." John halted. And, fearing the sound in his voice, Rodney did as well. "You didn't do anything to my room, right?"

"Nooo. No. Of course not. Why would I...?" The look on Rodney McKay's face was enough proof.

"Rodneeeey..."

"Ok, yes. I overrode the security on your door while you were gone. It was only to play a joke. But..." He smiled. "I didn't get to do anything since you came back so fast."

John glared at him.

Rodney shrugged. "I know. It was in bad taste. And you can pull a prank on me whenever I leave." His smile widened, as if it was going to make it better.

"Oh, that's great," John said with an eye roll as he started walking. "You never leave!"

That seemed to offend Rondey. "That's not true!" He called after him while trying to catch up.

After a few seconds rolled by, John and Rodney, now not speaking about what they had discussed prior, entered Weir's office.

She was sitting at her desk, staring at her computer placidly. She then looked up at them and smiled. "So, how are our newest guests?" She used the term 'guests' loosely. The look on her face indicated she was slightly stressed about the situation.

They both took a seat and John shrugged causally while smiling. "Fine. I have Teyla keeping an eye on them."

Weir moved closer and gently folded her hands across the surface of the desk. "Oh. Well, I wouldn't want them to think we regard them as a threat. It's only for their own safety.

Of course. The last thing Weir wanted, or anyone on the city for that matter, was the 'accidental' civilians becoming accidentally dead or seriously injured.

John chuckled. "You haven't met them yet. Teyla will be a nice distraction."

Elizabeth's posture eased up and she smiled. "I can hardly wait to meet them." She then nodded to Rodney. "Did you compile a list?"

"I did." He pulled out his hand-held device. "N90-663 would be our safest bet."

John was confused. "List? What are talking about?"

"Rodney had a few planets that were located in the At antis data base as being possible ZPM 'houses', we considered the possibility and if we could assemble a team, we wouldn't have to wait for the Daedalus and we could get..." She paused. Elizabeth just realized that she didn't know the names of their 'guests'.

"Shawn and Gus," John offered.

"Right, thank you. We could get Shawn and Gus home faster."

The plan seemed to work from John's standpoint. He turned to Rodney. "So, N90-663?"

Rodney nodded. "We've actually visited it before, right after we raised the city. But the lengthy ruins deterred our search. Since our means in searching for a zed-pm has improved for the better, I don't see why it'll take long. And we'll be able to pinpoint it from the gate. If it's not completely drained. Or long since missing, that is."

"Any potential dangers?"

"It's completely uninhabited. And other than ruins, I don't think there is anything to be worried about." Rodney seemed pretty confident. Sheppard could recall their last mission to the planet, but it was certainly uneventful.

"It works," he said with a nod. Elizabeth nodded along with him.

"Why don't you have Lorne assemble a team?" She suggested.

John thought it over. There was a stretch of a possibility that... well, he might as well ask.

"Why don't I go?"

Elizabeth seemed surprised at first. "If you feel up to it, of course. Technically you're still on vacation."

He hated being reminded that. If the Wraith hadn't made their sudden appearance, he could have been surfing at that very moment. Or, eating dinner with Henry Spencer. I'll take exploring an uninhabited planet over that any day, he grimaced slightly in his head.

John shrugged. "It's fine. What if..." He paused. There might have been no point in asking, but he had to try. Shawn and Gus, well mainly Shawn, would never let John live it down if they couldn't go on an alien planet adventure with him. Now that he had thought of it more so, Gus probably wouldn't want to go in the first place.

"No, absolutely not." Weir obviously knew where this was heading. "I haven't even met them yet."

Rodney wasn't quite sure what their exchange was about.

"If you think about it, I've blasted a Wraith ship dead out of the water. The chances of another hive ship entering this part of the galaxy any time soon are slim to none," John said, smiling for effect. "The planet's devoid of people. And threats. It'll just be a quick jaunt. A grab and go."

To John's utter shock, she started to think it over.

But Rodney was shaking his head. "No way. It's too dangerous!"

John made a face. "If that's the case, then why do we take _you_ along?"

"Because I'm a valuable part of the team. Not a sight-seeing tourist." He rolled his eyes to punctuate his feelings on the matter.

Weir was seemingly oblivious to their banter. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but..." She looked up at John, her voice becoming serious. "As long as they know they're going at the risk of their own lives and they understand the precautions needed to be taken, then... I don't see why it'd be a problem. But only one trip, and as soon as we have secured the ZPM, they have to go."

John grinned. He could hardly wait to share the news with Shawn. He was still uncertain as to whether Gus would consider it a good thing or not.

_"What?!"_ Rodney obviously found it preposterous.

Elizabeth smiled. "Oh, McKay. It'll be fine." She refocused on John. "You _do_ realize, though, that they're your responsibility. You'll have to keep an eye on them."

John nodded. "Of course."

Weir seemed pleased. "Ok, so we'll set out tomorrow. That way you can rest." She studied John's outfit for a moment. "I can see that you haven't had time to change. Unless this is your new look while off duty."

"It's been hectic..." He thought about what he'll have to do next to keep Shawn and Gus, ok, mainly Shawn, from... doing things. Things that could be considered scary to the city around them. He then smiled. "I suppose I should use this free time to get out of these ...flip flops." He stood up from his seat. "I should relieve Teyla of duty at some point too."

"I can hardly wait to meet these two," Weir stated with a grin.

* * *

_In a galaxy far, far away-_

"What do you mean 'Shawn's brother'?" Henry asked, eyeing Lassiter with much uncertainty.

Lassiter and Juliet were standing outside Henry Spencer's home in the waning Santa Barbara sunlight, explaining the situation further. It had been five hours since they had heard from either Shawn or Gus.

And, apparently, 'Shawn and Gus have gone missing' hardly had the poignancy as 'Shawn's brother was with them'. Henry hardly batted an eye at the possibility of Shawn being missing.

"Yes," Lassiter hissed, taking off his aviator sunglasses to look at Henry directly. "Shawn's brother. You heard me correctly."

"Shawn doesn't have a brother."

Lassiter sighed. "Sorry," though he was hardly apologetic, "I meant _half _brother."

"Now we're getting somewhere." Still, Henry hardly seemed convinced. He merely crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Did this guy have a pompous ass look on his face and act like he owned the place?"

Juliet and Lassiter looked at each other and shrugged. That hardly fit John's description.

Jules decided to take it into her own hands. "No, not exactly. He was tall and he had really messy, but good messy, dark hai-"

"John," Henry seethed. "What the hell is John Sheppard doing in Santa Barbara?"

Lassiter's interest in the subject now piqued. "We were hoping you could tell us," he answered with a raised eyebrow.

"I can't believe Shawn didn't tell me!" Henry seemed to be getting angrier by each second, and the idea of any of them being missing still hardly fazed him.

"You don't know anything about it?" Juliet asked him, sincerely.

"No." Henry sighed and shook his head. "I highly doubt they're missing." He then pointed roughly at Lassiter and Juliet. "But I want you two to tell me everything you know!"

* * *

Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think. The next chapter should be up soon! :D


	10. More Introductions

Hello everyone!

Geeky- Gracias, friend. Thanks for the speedy beta. You're the best! I give you a new nano in the color of your choice. :D Huzzah!

_Disclaimer:_ It's Disclaimed!

* * *

_Chapter Ten:_ More Introductions

Gus and Shawn watched as the commissary filled with uniformed individuals. For the most part, rarely anyone had given the two newest additions to the city a second glance. Still, a handful of people stared at Gus and Shawn as though wondering if they had missed out on a 'causal Friday' memo.

And really, Shawn and Gus hardly looked as though they fit in with the Atlantis crew. Gus was wearing perfectly pressed khakis and a pink button down shirt. Shawn was in jeans and a kelly green polo. They stood out amongst the gray, white and blue crowd. But other than a few stray glances, the two of them hardly received special attention.

Which suited Shawn just fine. He was in a people watching mode.

"It must be dinner time for the G.I. Joes. Air Force, Marines...They're all here," Shawn mused out loud, while sounding impressed. The place was packed full of people from all over the Earth. They were all eating and chatting without any sign of animosity toward one another. Everything seemed to be in perfect harmony. "This place is actually pretty cool." He turned to Gus; his friend had become awfully quiet ever since John had left. "Am I the only one thinking this is all a crazy dream and that I'm about to wake up to the sound of my alarm clock?"

Gus nodded. "I've already pinched myself. Twice. Especially after that alien attack earlier."

Shawn raised a brow. "You pinched yourself? Buddy, that is so cliche."

Gus ignored him. "Shawn, do you even own an alarm clock?"

Instead of replying, Shawn smiled at a female Marine walking by their table. She returned the smile as she brushed past.

Shawn watched the Marine till she was out of sight. "Heh, did you see her?"

"Where's John?" Gus asked, somewhat concerned. "He was supposed to bring back hot chocolates."

Shawn seemed in agreement with him. "Well, it looks as though he left us. I guess we really shouldn't be surprised. I'm sure duty called."

Their present wonderings over John's location washed away as the two watched a highly attractive, slightly midriff baring woman walk over to their table.

"Is she...?" Gus's voice grew quiet. "Walking over ...here?"

"Yep. And this has _got_ to be a dream."

As she came closer, the answer was a hearty yes. She was most definitely making her way to the table.

In a blink of an eye she was taking a seat in a chair and sitting directly across from them.

"Hello." Her greeting was punctuated with a bright smile. She then held out her hand. "I'm Teyla Emmagen. It's a pleasure to meet both of you."

Shawn half-giggled. "Hi," he then cleared his throat, realizing he should also introduce himself. "I'm Shawn Spencer," he said while shaking her hand.

Gus returned her dazzling smile with one of his own. "And I'm..."

"Tiberius K. James," Shawn interjected with a smirk. "If you're wondering what the k stands for, it's Kirk.. But... heh, that's a silly name."

Gus glared at him momentarily, and then turned back to Teyla, "Actually, my name**'**s Burton Guster. But everyone calls me Gus."

"Gus," she smiled and then looked at Shawn. "And Shawn. And one of you must be... Colonel Sheppard's brother?"

Gus and Shawn looked at each other, and then back at Teyla. Before they had a chance to say anything, she continued while pointing at Shawn.

"Is it you?" She asked him. "I am sorry, I'm not completely educated on Earth customs. I'm not sure if that would be considered rude with just assuming."

"I don't think anyone could consider you rude," Gus said, give her a sly smirk.

"Yep, that'd be me. The Shep's brother. And might I say, it is _so_ nice to meet you," Shawn added with a grin. "So, you're not from Earth?"

Teyla shook her head. "No, I am not. I'm actually an Athosian."

Gus became clearly interested. "Is your planet this one?"

"No, not entirely. But in a way, yes. My people occupy the mainland. We abandoned Athos long ago, seeking refuge from Wraith cullings..." She paused, seeing that Shawn and Gus had no idea what she was talking about.

"Wraith?" Gus questioned. His face grew grim.

"Do those things have creepy green skin and white hair?" Shawn asked, trying to piece together what he had seen earlier. No one had offered explanations as of yet.

Teyla nodded. "Yes. By the look on your faces, I'm guessing you saw one that was beamed into the city?"

Gus appeared as though he was recalling the horrendous scene in his mind. "We saw more than enough."

"It threatened to kill us," Shawn added with a shrug. "I think."

"What exactly are these... Wraith?" Gus had to know. Curiosity was killing him.

Teyla became quiet, clearly thinking it over. "Well, ... I'm trying to recall how Colonel Sheppard once describe them to those newly from Earth... Vampiric, telepathic and hungry." She smiled, but Shawn could easily see it was forced. There was a sadness behind her eyes; Teyla must have seen plenty of traumatic experiences in her lifetime. And he hardly wanted to press for any 'exciting' stories.

Gus, on the other hand, simply stared at her.

Teyla offered a better description and she held out her hand while pointing to her palm. "You see, they have a feeding organ in their hand, allowing them to feed on the life force of living creatures. And to the Wraith, humans are nothing but cattle or livestock. A crop to be harvested. They're powerful, and evil... And..."

Gus let out a small 'eep'. He then nudged Shawn roughly in the ribs with his elbow. "Shawn, we've got to get out of here! I don't care how, but..."

"Dude, relax. Relax," Shawn said, trying to sound as calm as possible for his unmistakably frightened friend. "John knows how to take care of them." He then gestured to the people around him, "And as you can see, there are plenty of people here who know how to take care of ...situations like that. And they are," He smiled at Teyla, "Lovely people."

Teyla smiled back. "Now that we've spent time together, you do remind me of John. So... Shawn and Gus," she was also doing her part in keeping Gus from freaking out, "what is it that you do on Earth?"

This eased Gus considerably, he then cleared his throat, "I'm in pharmaceuticals." It was easy to see that Teyla wasn't quite sure what that meant exactly, but she nodded as he continued. "And I also work with Shawn part time."

"Oh," Teyla turned to Shawn. "What do you do? Are you also in the military?"

Shawn almost snorted a laugh. "Me? No way. I'm a ..." Gus was giving him a look. A look that said _'No.'_ And Shawn knew the look all too well, but he was going to ignore it. "I'm a uh... psychic."

Instead of scoffing or looking even the slightest unsure, Teyla appraised him. "Are you?" She became even more so intrigued. "I have heard of such ones, and I had no idea anyone on Earth possessed such abilities."

Shawn shrugged. "Well, it's an ability as much as it is a burden. But we all have our crosses to bear."

"What do you do with this ability?" she asked.

"I fight crime, to tell you the truth, Teyla. You see," he patted Gus's shoulder, "Gus and I are a two man team of solving crime and serving justice."

Well, it wasn't a complete lie and Gus went along with it while nodding his head. "It's true. We've solved a fair share of cases for the Santa Barbara police department."

She raised a brow, "Santa Barbara? Is that where you live?"

Gus nodded. Shawn thought back to his home town fondly. Would he rather be spending time in his totally awesome office while watching Full House re-runs or be spending it with his best friend and a totally hot chick in another galaxy? That answer was obvious.

John's trip had turned out for the best. If his brother hadn't visited at all, Shawn wouldn't be in the incredible place he was now.

"So..." Teyla's pleasant voice brought Shawn back to reality. "What can you tell me about myself?"

Without missing a beat, Shawn grinned. "Well, Miss Emmagen, I can tell you one thing. John asked you to come watch us while he was busy."

Her face was a give away; she looked impressed. "Yes, of course!"

Shawn opened his mouth to add more, but he looked up and saw that the dreaded man from the earlier 'Wraith' attack was making his way over to their table. They certainly were becoming popular.

"Chewbacca's right behind you."

Gus snickered. Teyla was confused.

She turned and glanced behind her. "Oh, hello, Ronon. I was just meeting Colonel Sheppard's guests."

Ronon took a seat next to Teyla. "I've already met them," he grumbled.

Teyla ignored his 'enthusiastic' appraisal of Shawn and Gus. "Why don't we all have some dinner?"

Gus acted like that was the best idea he had heard all day. And it had been a _long_ day.

He grinned at Teyla. "Yes, let's have dinner."

They all stood up and Shawn and Gus followed the other two to the cafeteria line, which had waned somewhat.

Teyla turned to Ronon, "Did you know that John's brother is psychic?"

Ronon seemed keen on this. He looked over at Shawn. "Really? Prove it."

* * *

Sheppard stood in front of his bathroom mirror and surveyed himself one last time. His board shorts and t-shirt were now safely stored away and his typical gray garb now graced his form. It felt good returning to something so familiar.

He smiled at his reflection. The Wraith weren't going to be knocking on his door anytime soon. His team was in one piece. No impending doom, as of yet...

How could he have forgotten? He was still taking care of Shawn and Gus.

He let out a breath and threaded his fingers through his hair. His only concern was their safety, but when dealing with Shawn, it was a matter of life and death at some points.

Still, he hadn't seen his brother for ten years. And there was a big chance his brother's 'antics' had diminished somewhat.

_Oh that's right, there was a gun pulled on me within the first two hours of_ actually_ being with Shawn,_ he scoffed.

That murderer they had 'caught' at the nerd convention was certainly psychotic, but nothing a lieutenant colonel couldn't have handled. Maybe.

He shook his head. No use in wondering about what hadn't happened.

John's thoughts, however, did meander to Shawn's co-workers; the two detectives he had met at the police department. He wondered if they were faring ok with the search.

And the gnawing in the back of his mind became more clear. What did those back in Santa Barbara think had happened to them? They had been missing for quite some time.

John narrowed his eyes. "Henry's been brought on the case, I'm sure," he told his reflection.

Great. When he finally has Shawn and Gus returned to the proper galaxy, there was an earful and lecture in his future. And another possible ten years of bad blood.. He just knew it.

With a final sigh, John trudged out of his room. He still had to find Shawn and Gus, and share with them the exciting news of going off-world.

As Sheppard walked down the hallways to the commissary, he couldn't help but feel wary now. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea after all.

* * *

Whoo! Thanks for reading everyone. I hope to keep the chapters coming.

_Michelle Morris-_ Thank you so much!

_K. Arterton-_ Thank you! :D

_fargirl 2007_- So glad you're liking it! Thank you!

_Fiera Sabre_- Thank you, and yes, a well needed hiatus is always a good thing. :D

_mimi-_ Thank you!

_Ella Fitzgerald Fan_- Thank you! Psych is one of my favorites as well. :)


	11. Foot in Mouth

I know, I know... I always say that I'll do better with updates. I wish life weren't so crazy all the time. But I will get better at organizing my time. And I especially wanted to update before I left for vacation (to Hawaii! That's my vacation shoutout :D). And I'm hoping that while on holiday, I can rest and brainstorm. Yay! And again, thank you for all your feedback. I greatly appreciate it!

Unbeta'd. Cause my beta is out of town (Hi Geeky!). So I apologize in advance for anything and everything horrendous.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

_**Chapter Eleven:**_ Foot in Mouth

Henry Spencer sighed loudly. Lassiter and Juliet weren't providing the information he wanted. Not to mention, his mind was preoccupied. John Sheppard, his ex-wife's dumb ass son,was the last person he needed hanging around Shawn. The two together were like piss and vinegar. Or at least that's how Shawn became when the older brother was in close proximity with his son. And that was, simply put, annoying.

Juliet hadn't budged from her spot on Henry's front porch. "You mean to tell us, you're not concerned in the slightest about Shawn and Gus's well being?"

"Who said I wasn't?" He glanced up toward Lassiter. "Look, they haven't even been missing for 24 hours. If they're with John, they're probably in the middle of some stupid stunt... solving their current case."

Lassiter seemed to agree with Henry. But apparently Juliet wasn't quite convinced, which Lassie sensed. So he prodded Henry further.. "We already solved the case. In fact, we have the our suspect in custody with a enough evidence to attach a life sentence... And he was the last to see them."

Juliet continued, "And ... even though I believe that Colonel Sheppard is highly capable of taking care of hims-"

"A Colonel!?" Henry narrowed his eyes. "How on Earth did Sheppard make Colonel... Are you sure this is the same person?"

Now it was Juliet's place to look annoyed.

"Ok ok..." Henry spoke up before either one of the officers did. "Just keep me posted. But I promise you... they'll turn up. And when they do, I have a bone to pick with Sheppard."

* * *

As if readying himself for a 'psychic reading', Ronon sat down at a table and crossed his arms in front of his chest. His dark brown and unwavering gaze were leveled intensely at Shawn, no doubt waiting for something uncanny to spout forth from the newcomer.

Shawn took this an opportunity to scan the scruffy-haired man. The one called Ronon was an obvious and easy case study. He was a victim of trauma and had suffered apparent loss. A distant, despondent attitude? Yep. Prickly exterior? Very much so. Rough and tough facade? Does that really need to be answered? A trusting soul who easily puts faith in others? Hell to the no.

The species called the 'Wraith' seemed anything but easy to defeat. Especially if they were on the top of the food chain. And Ronon made taking out Wraith look like a walk in the park.

Of course Shawn had only seen Ronon take out one... but then again, it wasn't hard to figure it out.

Teyla was looked eager, she seemed unsure what was to happen next. Gus was impatiently waiting for Shawn to speak. As was Ronon.

"Ok! Ok. Ok..." Shawn held up his pointer finger dramatically. "I got it!"

Shawn pulled up a seat next to Ronon and stared at him with an intensified gaze. Ronon merely raised a brow at the show. Meanwhile, the _entire_ commissary channeled their undivided attention towards the psychic and the warrior.

"Got what?" Ronon asked, his voice bored.

Shawn lowered his chin. "Buddy," he started quietly. "Are you sure it's alright if I divulge information out loud."

Ronon narrowed his eyes, while pulling away from Shawn. "Right. _You_ have information on _me_...Uh huh." He shook his head. "And I'm not your buddy."

Taken aback at that, Shawn also pulled away, ready to open fire verbally. "Your family, your friends... all that you know is gone. Dead. I see a..." Shawn shut his eyes momentarily. "I see a war. A bloody battle taking place."

Ronon's eyes widened, but before he could stop him from progressing further, Shawn stood up from his seat and started acting everything out.

"You lost everyone you cared about. And all that's left is the hollow being you are today. And now... and now you simply soldier on..." Shawn's eyes thrust open and he faced his 'client'. "It's ok, friend. You are no longer alone. You are no longer..." Before he could continue, Ronon growled while shoving Shawn violently into a commissary table and stormed off, avoiding all the eyes that were now on him.

Shawn, hardly affected by the push, called out to Ronon before he left. "You will be here," Shawn patted his chest softly. "Here in our hearts..."

Once Ronon was out of sight, Shawn's overly concerned face broke into a grin. The patrons around him clapped as though they had just witnesses a touching Gilmore Girls moment. And he merely brushed off the attention.

"That was amazing, dude!" "You're so right about Ronon!" "I think he should have group therapy!" A few people called out simultaneously.

A handful of scientists gave Shawn pats on the back before they left the cafeteria.

Gus sidled up to him. "Uh... How did you...?"

"An educated guess. The lone wolf exterior, the complete disregard for a lengthy vocabulary..."

Gus could see his point. "I think you hit a nerve. He's going to kill you later. You do realize that right..."

"Yeah, I kind of thought about that." Shawn's mouth twisted into a hybrid of a frowning smile. "Still, I think I sold it."

Teyla was convinced, as far as they could see. "Well, Shawn and Gus, you've certainly... made an impression. However..," her thousand watt smile set them at ease, "I wonder if it was wise searching Ronon's soul like that."

Shawn nodded emphatically. "Teyla, you couldn't be more right. But I don't feel like the day's been completed without a good soul searching."

With a slight confused nod, she seemed to understand. Sort of. While Gus only rolled his eyes.

Teyla then gestured to their table and their untouched food. "Shall we continue with dinner? I'd hate for it to get cold."

Gus couldn't agree more. "Cold. Like the way Ronon's going to take you down... You're going to be out _cold_."

Shawn knew he should have opened up a sensitive subject on such an nonsensitive being, but Gus was right. Shawn should probably avoid Ronon. For a few hours. Maybe.

* * *

John was halfway down to the cafeteria's sitting room when he saw Ronon lumbering down the hallway towards him.

"Hey, have you seen....?"

John's query was cut short with Ronon's visage. "Oh. I've seen him alright," the Runner growled, brushing past John.

Before John could ask what went wrong, Ronon was long gone.

"_Hooo-boy._ This is going to be interesting."

He walked into the commissary and at once spotted Gus and Shawn right where he had left them. From what he could tell, they were quietly enjoying dinner with Teyla. All seemed normal. But as the old saying went, 'not all is as it seems.'

Teyla perked up once she noticed John and she motioned him over. "Oh, Colonel! Over here!"

As he walked closer, he nodded towards Teyla before acknowledging the other two.

"Your brother informed me that he's a psychic," she informed him.

_Oh. No._

John's face fell slightly, but it wasn't enough for Teyla to spot. "Did you now?" He looked at Shawn. His younger brother smiled broadly. Gus looked jut as guilty.

John shook his head and took a seat next to Teyla. Before he could ask what the damage was, Teyla interjected.

"And... Shawn psychically read Ronon."

This time, John's face fell _and _his eyes widened. Both Shawn and Gus appeared nonchalant about it, but they knew they had crossed the line with John.

"Wait. What?" He huffed. "Do you know what he's capable of?"

Shawn nodded. "Um yeah." He held his hands up and gave John a display of 'spirit fingers'. "I psychically read him, remember? I mean, he may look like a Wookie, but he's certainly not as cuddly. And he will most _definitely_ pull your arms out of your sockets." He then chuckled

Teyla seemed entertained by the exchange between the brothers. "You know, John, I do believe Shawn was... right on the money, is that how'd you say it?"

John's mouth was a grim line. "Hm. You don't say."

Gus was now preoccupied with shoveling food in his face. Shawn was emphatically pointing to the sticky rice like substance on his plate.

"What is this stuff? It's great!" His subject change was quite obvious.

"It's quinoa," Teyla answered.

"Oh yum. Never heard of it. Is that an alien grain or something?"

"No, Shawn, I have quinoa at home," Gus added.

"You're kidding?"

John wasn't immune to a subject change. In the least. "Guys, let's wrap this up. Teyla's busy. And we are as well."

Teyla opened her mouth, "Actually, I'm no-"

He placed an hand on her shoulder and gave her an easy grin. "No, believe me ... you're busy" He wanted to speak to Gus and Shawn, ok, mainly Shawn, alone.

"Oh right." She nodded. "I am busy." Teyla practically winked. She knew full well that John had plans with his half-brother and Gus.

After a bit of prodding, Shawn and Gus were finally accompanying John down the main hallway of the city.

Gus smiled. "Wow, Teyla is...."

"Hot? Smoking? A crazy hot and smoking combo?" Shawn asked.

"Excuse me, that's my teammate..." John interrupted.

"Oh sorry, bro. Are you and her... y'know 'teammate teammates?'" He nudged John slightly.

John merely rolled his eyes. "No. I'm her commanding officer..."

Gus grinned. "Whatever you say."

John halted in front of a gray door after the short jaunt.

"Where are -..." Shawn's question was cut short when door swished open, revealing a comfortable looking room complete with Earth-like features.

"Johnny Cash. A surf board. A guitar. I'm guessing this is your home away from home."

John nodded. "Yep. This is it." He walked into his living quarters and Gus and Shawn followed suit, while the door swished closed behind them.

Gus seemed impressed. "Looks nice and cozy."

Shawn was looking around at every small detail. "You don't have any pictures of... well, of anyone..." He trailed off.

With a low sigh, John nodded. He knew that would be brought of up. However, before he could speak up, there was a soft knock at the door.

Using it as an opportunity to get away from the present subject, John went to open the door. The smiling face of Elizabeth Weir was standing there to greet him.

"I was hoping to catch you guys before you headed for bed," she said. She then fixed her attentions to the two foreigners in the room. "You two must be the famous Shawn and Gus."

"Been here for only a few hours and we're already famous?" Shawn asked. He grinned at Gus. "Those are good odds."

"Gus and Shawn," John motioned to Weir. "This is Dr. Elizabeth Weir. She's the leader of Atlantis."

The two smiled and said their hellos.

Weir immediately stated off hand that John and Shawn looked a like. She could see where they were related.

This made Gus snicker. And Shawn simply replied, "But we all know who's more attractive. Still, let's keep that little tidbit to ourselves shall we?"

Weir smiled and shook her head at Shawn's response. "So. Which one of you is the so-called psychic?"

This shocked John. It also weirded him out that information passed far too fast on Atlantis. But he had already come to that conclusion hours ago. The gossip mill in the city was astounding.

Gus was quick to point to Shawn without realizing that John was giving him a 'no, don't answer that' face. Shawn also simultaneously raised his hand.

"Wait... how did you...-" John asked Elizabeth before Shawn could make some smart-ass comment.

Weir shrugged. "Zelenka. Conners. Chuck.... Oh and McKay. Apparently there was some kind of display in the cafeteria." To John's dismay, Elizabeth seem actually amused by all this. "And I must say, I'm sorry I missed out on it all. Though," she turned to Shawn, "you picked a very unlikely guinea pig in Ronon."

Shawn shrugged. "Well, I just did what I do best. Actually, scratch that... What I do best is making guacamole. So... well, you get the idea. And Ronon seemed up for it. I only hoped to ease his suffering."

With that, Weir guffawed a rather loud laugh.

Gus looked grim. "Shawn, the only suffering that'll need to be eased is yours. After Ronon gives you a beat down."

Weir sobered up after she looked down at the watch on her wrist. "It's getting late.... John, did you show Shawn and Gus their living arrangements for the time being?"

"Oh, are we like staying until tomorrow or something?" Gus asked.

Weir looked at John. And he smiled sheepishly. "Make that a week. Or so."

"A week!?" Shawn and Gus choroused. Only, Shawn seemed far more excited about the prospect than Gus. Naturally.

"Wait wait wait. No no no." Gus shook his head. "I have a conference call scheduled tomorrow with the largest pharmaceutical supplier in North America. North America! As in also Canada!"

"Dude," Shawn looked over at his friend. "Last time I checked we were in a different galaxy. And unless they have an amazing land line with no hidden fees, I think you're missing your conference call."

With a sigh, Gus slowly took a seat on John's bed.

"Along those lines..." Weird smiled. "I've cleared it with Colonel Sheppard you can accompany him and his team to a planet through the Stargate tomorrow."

John wasn't sure if it was such a good idea now. But, then again, he was the one who had suggested it in the first place.

"Wait, you mean... we're going to be making first contact with some alien race?"

"Not exactly. No."

Gus, though it should have a dream come true, looked as though he needed to lie down.

"How could this day get any more awesome?" Shawn was grinning from ear to ear.

Sauntering up behind Dr. Weir, Ronon poked his head into John's room. He looked directly at Shawn. "You. Me. In the sparring room."

With that, Ronon walked away, leaving the room in stunned silence.

John raised a brow. "Wow. You must have really pissed him off." He knew that he wouldn't let anything go too far if Ronon truly tried something rash. Of course, he promised himself that he'd return both Shawn and Gus in one piece. Regardless of how many Wraith killing-machines they managed to anger in the process.

Gus laughed. "I think your best day ever is going to end in a beat down."

"You know, Shawn, you don't have to take him up on his offer..." John stated after getting a worrisome glance from Weir. "But it you do, I'll be happy to teach you some moves." This made Weir's eyes widen.

Shawn nodded. "Bring it on, Ronon O'Brien."

* * *

Let me know what you think so far. Thank you for reading, as always!! :D

PyschFan- Thank you!! :D

gm- Wow! Thanks so much!


	12. To Spar or Not to Spar

Disclaimer: Not mine!

Well, I apologize for the long wait. Thank you everyone for your awesome feedback! I'm getting the Psych/Atlantis ball rolling once again. :D

Thanks to my beta, Geeky! Go team P/K! *wink*

* * *

Chapter Twelve: To Spar or Not to Spar

"I don't know why I'm asking this, but... are you sure you _know_ what you're getting yourself into?" Gus whispered to Shawn as they followed John and Teyla to the sparring room. Shawn gave his friend a knowing, confident smile. But it was all a lie. Ok, more like 78 percent lie. The other 27 percent was just hopeful wishes, dreams and old Kung Fu: The Legend Continues fragments running through his mind.

Weir had left prematurely after getting an a-okay from Sheppard that Shawn wouldn't meet his death from a ruptured spleen or some other dastardly demise. Knowing John had his back eased Shawn's nerves somewhat, especially after realizing he really had provoked the lion this time around. Usually Shawn would be laughing at some moron's antics on a man vs animal show on the Discovery channel. But this time, he himself was the moron. And Ronon was pure animal.

The short walk to the sparring room was quiet otherwise. Once they were at the entrance, John and Teyla smiled at Shawn.

"You'll be fine. Ronon is... letting off steam." Teyla's hundred-watt grin was soothing, somewhat.

"Steam? Like he's a mobile sauna of some sort?" Shawn matched Teyla's smile. "It'll be good for my crow's feet..."

John's and Gus's eyes were about to fall out of their heads due to being rolled so aggressively in annoyance.

Shawn walked into the sparring room with the other three and watched as Ronon lifted a poor, young Marine by the collar of his shirt only to then throw him into an opposing wall. Apparently he was getting a warm-up. Shawn's breath caught in his chest.

"Dude, Ronon ate his wheaties this morning..." Shawn whispered to a wide-eyed Gus.

Gus managed to peel his eyes away from the sight before him and look over at his soon-to-be hospitalized friend. "Wheaties made of some sort of titanium alloy."

Ronon watched Shawn and Gus from across the room. "Spencer..."

Shawn's face lit up like a tiki torch. "Aww, you remembered my last name!"

The warrior with the unruly hair narrowed his eyes and tossed two sticks in Shawn's general direction. "Are you ready?"

Shawn caught the short sticks in mid-air. "Ow..." His palms were now throbbing. Oh, God. He _was_ going to die.

Gus was now tucked away in a corner, trying to not break out into a nervous sweat; his light pink shirt was already sticking to his skin. Teyla and John were now huddled around Shawn giving him pointers.

"Despite his large frame, Ronon is quick on his feet. So you might want to..."

"He has the uppercut of a wildebeest. Be careful of..."

But Shawn wasn't paying attention, he simply stared at the two weapons in his hands. "Escrima."

John and Teyla paused.

"What?" His brother asked..

Shawn looked up and grinned wildly. "Escrima! Stick and sword fighting... You know, the Filipino martial art?"

Teyla looked at John, clearly confused.

John was scratching the back of his neck. "Well, yeah... it is similar... but how would you..."

"I taught it during my sixth month stint while living in Manila."

"You lived in Manila?"

Gus spoke up from out of nowhere. "It was right before the concessions vendor job at Turner Field in Atlanta."

John set his jaw and raised a brow. "The Philippines?... Georgia?"

"Are we going to do this?" Ronon asked gruffly.

Shawn side-stepped Teyla and John while twirling one of the rattan sticks in his left hand. "I'd say bring it on, but... it's already been brought!"

Seemingly unsure why Shawn was so confident, Ronon wasted no time advancing forward. Sure enough, his uppercut was that of the Hulk and Captain America. Combined.

But somehow Shawn caught his stick with one of his own and a heavy 'THOCK' resonated around the room. If Shawn's palms had been aching before, they now felt like they were going to fall off entirely. Along with his forearms, shoulder blades and thoracic cavity. Still, he held his ground.

Soon Ronon and Shawn were engaged in a volley of jabs and fancy footwork. The room was in stunned silence. Marines and Lieutenants were frozen in their spots, watching the sparring display. John, meanwhile, could have caught flies with his open mouth.

It was then and there that John Sheppard realized that he really didn't know Shawn at all. It made him slightly melancholy that he had missed out on so much of his life. Fake psychic or not. Shawn Spencer had evolved into quite an established guy.

Now it was John's turn to finally get to know his little brother.

Ronon was the first to break the stunned reverie of the room. "You're pretty good..." His rough voice hitched, as though he had a hard time giving the smaller man a compliment. In fact, in Ronon's mind, he was entirely pleased. He hadn't had such a thorough sparring session since meeting Teyla. And now he and the Athosian were all too familiar with their own styles, it wasn't much of a challenge anymore.

But this Spencer person, he was very challenging. And right then and there, a small budding of respect started to form in Ronon's being. Just enough respect to want to keep him around to spar with him again, rather than obliterate him completely.

"Oh you're just saying that to be nice." Shawn was now trying to catch his breath. Well versed in Escrima or not, he was certainly out of shape. _I need Gus to buy me a treadmill or something,_ he thought distantly while throwing a parry Ronon's way. _Who am I kidding... I'm not going to use a treadmill. For traditional purposes at least. I do need something to hang my ironing on. Wait, I don't iron either._

Right then, Ronon unwittingly spotted a moment of opportunity. Shawn's defenses had lowered slightly and the larger man whacked Shawn across the shin while simultaneously using his other arm to whack his knees from behind, making them buckle under. Shawn yelped like a whipped puppy and found himself flat on his back, staring up at the Atlantian ceiling.

Next Ronon and his Rastafarian hair came into view. Shawn struggled to catch his breath.

"Uncle?"

"So, if you really are a psychic..." Ronon started, "what am I going to do next?"

Shawn smiled lazily. "We're going to put away our sticks, call it a night and become good buds for life."

With that answer in mind, Ronon raised a brow and held out his hand to help Shawn up. "You're alright, Spencer."

John sidled up to Gus. "Please tell me what just happened."

Gus was just as shocked. "You tell me."

* * *

The next chapter will be much longer! Thanks for reading! :D


	13. Bad to Worse

There aren't enough apologies for my writing hiatus, so I'll cut to the chase: thank you for sticking with this story. And just so you know, I plan to finish it! Here is an extra long chapter for the wait. And again, I apologize.

To all who read and review: you guys rock! Seriously! You keep me going!

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

This has been un-beta'd. FYI.

Standard disclaimer: I own nothing.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen: When Things Advance From Bad to Worse

Shawn felt like he had been flattened by a steam-roller. Not "oh haha-I feel like I've been flattened by a steam-roller but really I have a head ache that two Aleve and a double tall caramel macchiato won't fix, haha!" No, this was quite, quite literal.

In fact as soon as he had clamored into his quarters and sealed the door, he collapsed in a heap on the floor. A sad, sweaty, sore heap.

To Shawn's utter dismay, Gus quickly entered his room.

"IthoughtIhadlockedthedoor." Shawn made no attempt at formulating sentences or getting his face off of the cool metal flooring.

Gus merely tsked and sat on his bed, staring at his friend. "Filipino stick fighting? All along you could do that?"

Shawn tried pushing himself up and instead managed to roll over onto his back. "I ... uh, yes. However, I think I ruined several muscle groups in the process." Shawn wondered silently if he even had muscle groups.

"That's because you have the diet and exercise regimen of a 13 year old girl."

Shawn made a face. "Hey, lucky charms have riboflavin! That's a vitamin. Right? Or a color... "

Gus laughed. "Well, if your plan was to make Ronan your friend, it worked. I overheard him telling your brother that he's going to include you in his early morning calisthenics tomorrow. And while you're doing that, I'll be most likely having coffee and breakfast with Teyla." He then grinned, of course.

"Pfft! In your riboflavin-less dreams!"

Gus stood up. "Well, time for me to turn in." He paused and stared down at his friend. "Need help... up?"

Shawn made a half-groan sound like a "no" somehow and Gus left.

That night, Shawn slept like a log. But not a very comfortable log, as he had slumbered on the cold Lantean floor. Getting onto his bed required too much effort and Herculean-like strength and determination. And the good friend Gus was, he just left Shawn there... with a blanket, no less.

Now less 'super steam-rollered' and more 'jelly-like with a hint of steam-rollered', Shawn took off out of his room bright and early. Avoiding Ronan's aerobics class was high on his to-do list.

And avoiding him was actually quite simple, as he was easily caught up in the day-to-day activities of the Atlantis crew. After a few curious glances from a security team or two, Shawn was ushered into the infirmary where Doctor Beckett was waiting for him.

"Ah, 'morning Shawn!"

Shawn watched as the Scot brought out a device that looked like an inhaler and a hypodermic needle had a love child.

"Uh,... hey doc! What's with the... thing?"

Becket patted a chair and smiled. "Well, you and Gus have yet to be inoculated. You are going off-world."

Shawn took a seat. "Do alien worlds carry swift breezes of Hepatitis C?"

"Much worse, I'm afraid."

Shawn knew he was joking of course. Or at least he thought so. After a sharp, yet very sudden prick in the arm, he was good to go.

"How do you feel?"

Shawn licked his lips. "Like I can suddenly smell and taste the color purple."

* * *

Gearing up for an off-world visit with two 'civilians' wasn't practical or logical, but it was fool-proof. Or at least John had concluded so.

After a narrative of deployment and a debriefing that magically didn't bore Shawn to tears, John felt Gus and his brother were ready for their once-in-a-life-time-and-they-better-not-pull-any-stunts-or-their-ass-is-grass experience.

"So, you're really going to let this happen?" Gus asked. He seemed pretty excited, considering he was going out of his comfort zone, and all that jazz. "Let us go through the 'gate' and we can go to an alien world and visit an alien civilization?"

Gus's description made it sound as if they were planning a day-trip so the Smithsonian and had reservations at the Olive Garden down the street.

Rodney puckered his mouth and rolled his eyes. "Technically you have already done both." He gestured with his arms, indicating the area around them. "You are on an alien planet and this entire city was built by an alien civilization."

"Can we use the word 'alien' some more? I don't feel it's being circulated enough," Shawn interjected.

John clasped his hands together and leaned forward. "It's actually a routine visit. Nothing exciting. We're bringing a couple of botanists along, and..." he chuckled, "in comparison to them, you two look like a couple of experienced soldiers."

Dr. Patterson, the city's newest botanist, was sauntering over as John spoke. He looked hurt, but his stature was in perfect agreement with John's statement.

If anything, this routine visit to N99-088 was going to be as exciting as a 6th grade field trip, and probably just as eventful.

After the rest of the venturing crew arrived, which included Ronan who was quick to ask where Shawn had been during his 'morning calisthenics' (which to Shawn sounded like a torture device invented during the Medieval period), the gate was bursting with blue energy and everyone was off.

* * *

The tall, green trees that received the group on the other side of the gate was nothing but calming and inviting.

"I had no idea that alien planets were also known as 'Oregon and Washington'," Shawn quipped.

John laughed, "Yeah, I've also thought that. With a dash of Canada, I suppose."

The path from the gate was narrow, and the two botanists, Patterson and Bellamy, were crowding up the space, eager to acquire alien life in the form of green, leafy plants.

Shawn and Gus snuck past Ronan, Rodney and the two plant doctors and caught up with John and Teyla.

"So is there a village here?" Gus asked, taking in the sights around him.

Teyla nodded. "There is, in fact. The Askthans. My people have traded with them for centuries. A kind, yet simple people. However, they are well aware of our visit today. I visited with the leader no less than a week ago."

Not before long, a quaint gathering of stone buildings dotted the horizon.

Shawn leaned into Gus. "I had no idea alien villages were Amish civilizations."

The group continued into the community and a tall, over-eager man in plain clothing greeted them.

"Teyla! The gods have blessed this day, for we are to meet again."

Shawn rolled his eyes so hard that for a moment he panicked, thinking they were stuck.

The man, Horace, greeted Rodney and John and was introduced to Shawn and Gus and Ronan. The two botanists were too busy studying to even notice that there was someone new among them, but Horace hardly seemed to mind.

Shawn looked around and spotted two semi-attractive girls that were talking amongst themselves and staring at Shawn and Gus.

"One good thing about Amish civilizations? I'm going to impress the pants off them with my cell phone." Shawn then grinned and walked toward the now giggling girls.

"Shawn!"

"Oh, c'mon Gus, it's just a figure of speech."

* * *

"Amaya is my name," the prettier of the two said. She gestured to her friend. "And this is Cora."

Cora simply giggled and looked away, obviously shy.

Shawn stuck out his hand, "Bond. James Bond."

Amaya stared down at his hand for a second, unsure what to do with it. "Your name is Bond James Bond?"

This made Shawn laugh. "Uh, sure. But you can call me Shawn."

Shawn looked around for Gus, who had simply followed Teyla instead.

Amaya and Cora had now surrounded Shawn.

"So, Shawn," Amaya asked huskily, "how long are you staying in our village?"

Shawn grinned. "As long as you'd like."

* * *

The next couple of hours were typical, John decided. Horace was heading up trading plans with Teyla, while hardly masking the fact that he was blatantly flirting with her. Teyla was used to, however, being flirted with by anything wearing pants.

John walked the outskirts of the village, Rodney was grumbling at the two botanists, which did not surprise him. Ronan was off doing Ronan-like things, which included target practice, more than likely.

Shawn, to John's surprise, had a gaggle of girls surrounding him.

Gus was missing.

John then took it upon himself to go look for him.

However, the next series of events shocked John to the core.

He spotted Ronan walking from the east, pushing a man in modern clothing towards the center of the village with the apex of his drawn weapon. John followed suit and followed them.

Something about the man's clothing unnerved John, but he couldn't place it at first.

Horace stopped mid-sentence with Teyla and watched this, wide-eyed.

"Is he one of yours? I caught him spying on us." Ronan hardly seemed dazed by this, more annoyed if anything.

Horace opened his mouth to speak but something caught his eye. Gus was standing at the north end of the village, a gun being pointed at his head. A calm, yet determined looking man held the gun like an experienced war criminal.

It hit John immediately. Genii.

Teyla glared at Horace after taking in the scene. "What is this?"

Horace bowed his head in shame, "I apologize Teyla. The Genii's offer was too good to pass up."

Teyla hissed in discuss and back away from him, inching closer to John.

The man holding Gus hostage grinned, highlighting a scar that ran from his eyebrow to his cheekbone. He was staring directly at John, as if recognizing him immediately. "John Sheppard, am I correct?"

John released a breath. "Yes."

The man continued, "I am sorry to not have met you in better circumstances, but I have unfinished business with you."

John raised a brow. "Is that so?"

"Unfortunately, yes. You are more familiar with my late brother, Acastus Kolya. I am Denek."

Gritting his teeth, John nodded. "So you've got beef with me, eh? "

Denek cocked his head to the side. "I suppose you could say that. Simpleton terms, but well-said."

John shifted his gaze to Gus momentarily. If there had been a worse case scenario for this trip with Shawn and Gus, John would have never imagined it as this bad. "What are your plans?"

Denek pressed the nozzle of his gun into Gus's temple, John and Gus winced simultaneously. "I waste your friend if you do not acquiesce. It's simple. You come with me peacefully or I turn this simple village into a mass grave. Your choice."

John quickly assessed the situation, both Teyla and Ronan's trigger fingers were ready. John's brain deduced that Ronan could get a shot off before Denek pulled his own trigger. But he couldn't endanger Gus like that. He would never forgive himself.

Shawn would never forgive him.

John walked forward. "You got it."

"Ah! Please leave your weapon." Denek's smile was almost sincere. It was creepy.

Ronan's heavy whisper could be heard as the P-90 was lowered to the dusty ground. "Shepard, don't do it!"

John ignored Ronan's warning and Teyla's cumbersome stare and walked toward Denek.

Gus was freed and John and Gus exchanged glances as they passed each other. Gus stared into his eyes with such a frightened ferocity, that John had to break away. It was too much.

With that, John was taken into custody and lead into a dense, green forest. Denek was flanked by two heavily armed guards, naturally.

John silently prayed that Ronan didn't try anything reckless.

He heard shot or two ring out, and John cursed him.

But one question plagued John during all this: where was Shawn?

* * *

Meanwhile, Shawn heard a development of events coming from the center of the village, but too many buildings obscured his view.

He smiled, "Sorry ladies, gotta jet."

Amaya and Cora exchanged glances and then Cora's simple features transformed into something that could've been described as sadistic glee. She reached into the apron of her skirt and pulled out a gun.

"I wouldn't try anything, if I were you."

Shawn's eyes widened and he glanced over to Amaya who held her own weapon, "You're kidding, right?"

Something hit Shawn from behind and the soft ground came tumbling towards him.

The last thing he heard was Amaya. "Afraid not, Shawn."

* * *

After the series of shots were fired, Gus was gruffly thrust towards the direction of the gate by Teyla. He didn't have much of a chance to really see what was happening behind him, but he wasn't willing to find out, either.

Rodney was frantically dialing the gate, his hands a blur of movement. Seconds later, the gate erupted in a blue wave. Nothing looked more reassuring to Gus.

Ronan was tailing Rodney and shooting at something, Gus wasn't concerned with seeing what it was. All he felt was the sudden surge of relief after stepping through the gate.

He was home safe, and his friends were behind him. And somewhere deep in Gus's soul, he knew that Shawn was safe behind him too and they would all configure a way to save John.

Everything would work out. It had to. Gus knew it.

Gus could just picture Rodney and military personnel immediately starting a fool-proof plan to rescue John and save the day.

Because John being a prisoner and/or a dead man just wasn't in the cards. He was the hero. He would be fine.

Right?

Dr. Weir's worried face was the first thing to greet him after exiting the gate.

"What happened?"

Gus was catching his breath. "John was taken."

It all happened so fast, that Gus had no better way to surmise the situation. Gus of course had left out that he had been taken captive as well and that John had saved him, but those were details better left for later.

Rodney, Teyla and Patterson were next in succession. The three were followed by a harrowed Ronan, his deadly weapon still raised and pointing directly behind him. Bellamy was no where to be seen.

Neither was Shawn.

And with that, Gus watched in horror as the gate closed.

* * *

The sunny afternoon and bright green of the trees seemed to mock John as Denek and his group of Genii took him to God knows where.

"So, you're Kolya's brother, huh?"

Denek nodded. "That would be me." He and his group stopped suddenly. Denek smirked. "I am also the current commanding officer of the Genii."

John couldn't have imagined a more dead-end job. "That's too bad."

Denek's smirk faded abruptly and the blunt end of Denek's gun found it's way to John's temple. A sharp pain was quickly shrouded with blackness.

* * *

Dun. Dun. DUUUN!


	14. Dungeons But Thankfully No Dragons

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine

* * *

Chapter Fourteen: Dungeons. But Thankfully, No Dragons

The door to the cell was slammed shut after two guards deposited a body. The sound of metal on metal resonated throughout the entire dungeon, it was loud enough to wake the dead. Even though he had only woken up merely minutes prior, Shawn had watched the entire process while feigning unconsciousness.

He opened his eyes slowly and tried to push himself up into a sitting position from the packed-dirt floor. His brother was slumped to the ground, his face low and was propped against the wall opposite from Shawn.

"Dude, what happened?" Shawn sat up fast and his head attacked him further. It felt as though a locomotive was doing the macarena in his skull. Damn those stupid village girls with their feminine wiles. "How long have I been out?"

John didn't move at first and Shawn's heart skipped a beat. But before too long, John leaned back, exposing his face in the waning light. A cut lip, fresh bruising around an eye socket and some fresh blood, John was looking worse for wear.

He laughed gently, favoring the split lip. "You've been out long enough for us to have a party without you."

"Who did this to you?"

"Denek Kolya."

"Is that a name of a person or a decongestant?"

"Someone with an imaginary score to settle. Unfortunately."

"What does he want from us?"

"Well from me... who knows. Death, I think. I sum up he's figuring out what to do with me next." Shawn's face blanched while John continued. "I think you were just caught in the cross-fire."

John seemed too nonchalant about the entire thing. Apparently he had been in this predicament before, but this... well, this was all too new to Shawn. Sure he had been shot at, kidnapped, thrown into a pool with a man-eating shark, and the list goes on. But being trapped on a foreign planet while stuck in a rusting dungeon while imprisoned by vengeful sadists was an all too new experience. And it certainly had not been on his bucket list.

John obviously sensed Shawn's apprehension.

"I've been in worse situations. It'll be ok. They'll come for us."

"Who? The Grim Reaper and his friends?"

"No. My team."

Shawn closed his eyes and leaned his head back, his head threatening once again to explode on command. The cool, musty concrete blocks pressed against his back soothed him momentarily.

"Gus is probably freaking out." Shawn then thrust his eyes open and shot his head up, ignoring the pain. Before he had a chance to open his mouth, John spoke. "Don't worry. He made it back."

Sighing, Shawn sat back again. "Speaking of which, I bet my dad is freaking out. And Jules and Lassie." The reality hit him like a ton of bricks. He had been so caught up with visiting a new galaxy, his entire life on Earth had been thrown on the back burner. His return was going to be interesting. And messy.

_If._ If he returned. That is.

"How is he...?" He heard John ask.

"Lassie? Ugh. Horrible to work with. But funny in his own right. Haha, this one time, oh man, I got him sooooo good..."

John chuckled slightly. "No. No, I mean Henry."

This made Shawn pause and open his eyes. He sat up. "Well, he's good." He looked over at John. "To be honest, he misses you."

This made John laugh hard, which only made him wince more. "Yeah, I am so sure."

Shawn was serious. "No. He does."

This sobered John up. He too sat up. "Why?"

Straightening up his posture, Shawn thought it over briefly. "Because he feels bad, I think. For the way he treated you, I mean. You didn't deserve that and he knew it. Your own dad was an ass and he knew he could be one too. But that doesn't mean you needed two asses for father figures." He then shrugged. Getting to the nitty gritty about this sort of thing wasn't entirely his strong suit.

John mulled it over. "Well, I guess I would like to hear it for myself."

And Shawn agreed with that statement, it was only fair. "Then give him the chance." He then smiled. "I mean, he'll do it in his own Henry Spencer way, of course. Take you out on the boat. And then pat you on the shoulder when you least expect it and say, 'good job, kid.'"

The lesser damaged side of John's mouth curled upward, and it was one of the most genuine smiles Shawn had ever seen come from his older brother. "I would like that."

"And he would too."

The heavy silence that fell about their cell was almost deafening. And Shawn started to feel slightly... just slightly (and maybe it was just the dust in his eyes) _verklempt_. He blamed it on the trial and tribulation that he had endured so far with being imprisoned and the like.

He then rubbed his eyes with the back of his hands. "Jeez! Who is cutting onions in here? Would they quit already!"

John laughed. "So, what's with you and that detective?"

"Huh? Wha?"

"That cute blonde one." John was always quick to pick up on Shawn's "types".

Shawn tried to play it cool. He shrugged. "I dunno. I'm in love with her and stuff."

"No! Really?" He grinned. "Well, I approve.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Go get 'em, tiger."

Shawn then growled and extended his arm out like a cat paw. "Oh she's gonna get it alright."

John the raised a brow. "Ok, play it cool. Don't freak her out."

"So, what about you? Any lovely ladies the Sheppard likes? Or are you still James Bond-ing around?"

John paused momentarily and thought it over. "Well, there is someone. But I don't think she knows how I feel about her yet."

"Back at Atlantis?"

"Yeah."

"Oh man, I totally called it. Totally. I even told Gus. And dude, she knows."

"What? There's no way."

"Um. Yeah she does. I would know these things. I'm psychic, remember?"

* * *

"How am I suppose to know if they're even on the same planet!" Rodney asked a frazzled Zelenka. "Who knows if they're even ali-"

He stopped and composed himself, throwing a wounded smile at Gus who, like the stressed Czech, was far from soothed by Rodney's rantings. "I am sure they're fine." He then turned back to the computer screen he had been staring at.

Weir placed a hand on Gus's shoulder. "I know we're going to get Shawn back. Alive." Gus merely squeaked in response and nodded. She then marched over to Rodney to glance at his screen and pressed her hand to her ear. "Teyla, other than the empty village, have you found anything useful?"

The camera that had been placed on Teyla showed everything she was seeing. It included a pissed off Ronan, her heavily armed group of militants and the tree-lined landscape. But nothing else, otherwise.

"So far, no. But we are not yet finished with our sweep of the area," Teyla's voice replied.

"I've found it!" Zelenka said while typing furiously. He tuned into Teyla's transmission. "I have found Sheppard's homing beacon! Teyla, I am sending you the coordinates now and you can dispatch it to the officer who is closest to the area."

Rodney grumbled. "I helped you find it," he muttered under his breath.

After minutes of held-breaths and heavy silence, Teyla once again came over in transmission. "We found it. Hidden among rocks. It is obvious they knew exactly what he had on him and covered their tracks. No Colonel Sheppard. And I am sad to say, no Shawn."

Weir lowered her head and pressed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and forefinger. "Teyla... please, direct each team to do one more sweep of the area. Perhaps you'll find a villager or something pertinent to our situation."

"Of course, Dr. Weir. I will inform you of any changes." With that, Teyla signed off.

Zelenka sadly swiveled around in his chair and then stood up and walked away, only to mutter something either supportive or disheartening in Czech.

Rodney was deep in thought. "There has to be something. Anything."

Gus's next thought hit him like lightning. He stood up so fast, it practically gave him whiplash. "IPhone!"

Rodney and Weir stared at Gus for a moment only to then share a concerned glance with each other.

"Yes, okay..." Weir started.

Gus started pointing at Rodney. "Shawn has his iPhone! There could be a chance they didn't find it on him!"

Weir then stared at Rodney. "That's actually not a half-bad idea."

Gus raised a brow and looked at Weir. "Half-bad? Pfft, oh you _know_ it's good."

Rodney was back on his computer. "Give me his number. Wait, he doesn't have AT&T does he?"

"No..."

"Ok, good. Because they _cannot _get service out here. Ha... Sorry. Bad joke."

* * *

"And that was after I was a foot and ankle model."

John nearly choked. "Say, what?"

"Yup. Yours truly was the Achilles of the uh, well, Achilles. Good money." Shawn then shook his head. "So competitive. I was nearly tripped walking down the stairs by Reggie Ramirez. He was the Fabio of ankles. That guy had a face like a shaved yeti, yet he could pull off Birkenstocks to Chuck Taylors in a single shoot without breaking a sweat!"

John raised a brow. "Wow. No kidding."

"But that life of glory just wasn't for me. Too much pressure, too many pedicures. So then I..." Shawn then stopped and went rigid.

"You alright?"

"I think I'm ... vibrating." Also, both Shawn and John could hear the muffled sounds of some song. Shawn started patting himself down and soon found the source of his interruption. Reaching down, deep down, into the recesses of his pants, Shawn pulled out a bright green cell phone proudly playing the chorus to Glen Campbell's "Rhinestone Cowboy."

"Dude, I think Atlantis is calling. I am so screwed on roaming charges."


	15. The Genii Suck

Thank you so much everyone, for reading and reviewing. Love you all! So this was a quick update, I know. Suddenly I have the opposite of writer's block. Yay! I hope it lasts! :D

Ps. Whump Ahead!

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: The Genii Suck

Much to every one's relief, Shawn answered the call. He sounded as cool and calm as ever.

"Yello."

Gus was the first to speak, practically railroading Rodney in the process. "Shawn? Where are you?"

"Oh, you know... somewhere creepy. As usual." A small scuffled could be heard along with John saying "give me that!". Next thing they knew, the Lt. Colonel was in control of the phone.

"We're being held by the Genii. Nothing notable to speak off, just a damp, cold dungeon somewhere underground. Knowing the Genii, we're probably several hundred feet underground."

Rodney was furiously tracing the phone's GPS. "Listen, this phone call alone will suck the battery. I don't have much time before it shuts off, basing on the fact that it was actually charged to begin with. So stay on the line as long as you can."

"Well, we have nothing but time..." John trailed off. Suddenly the phone sounded like it had been dropped while an unknown voice could be overheard. And then silence.

"John! John?" Gus was now panicked.

"We've lost the connection," Weir said, trying not to sound grim. But it was useless.

Rodney shook his head and then looked up at Weir from his computer chair. "I at least have the planet. It's in our solar system, but that's as far as I got." Rodney glanced back on to his screen. "They're definitely not on the same planet where they were captured."

Weir nodded. "It's good enough. I'm calling Teyla's team back. Wherever this place is, we've got to do our best. We're running out of time."

* * *

Shawn watched in horror as four guards barged into the small cell, each pointing their weapon at John's head.

"Drop it!"

John did as he was told. The first guard shot the green iPhone into oblivion.

"Hey! I waited all summer saving up my free upgrade!"

"Both of you will be coming with us." The leader of the group wasn't gentle and roughly grabbed John. Two other guards seized Shawn.

John raised his hands in surrender. Shawn followed suit.

"Don't worry. After all this is over, you'll get a new one," John said while marching in single file with the guards.

"A new one? Do you think insurance will cover my phone if it's been blasted by an alien? Do you even know how much they are selling on eBay without a free upgrade?"

The leader raised his fist. "SILENCE!"

The guard flanking Shawn jabbed the tip of his weapon into his back, shutting him up further.

Before another minute had a chance to crawl by, John and Shawn were lead out of the dirty, musty dungeon and into an area that could of only been described as a sadistic operating room. Knives, clamps and needles of various sizes lined the walls. Two stainless steel operating tables complete with thick, heavy leather straps adorned the center of the room.

"Oh great. This place again," John muttered under his breath.

A man in full Genii military garb stood near the end of the room, his back to them. On hearing their entrance, the man turned around. "So glad to have you gentlemen join me.

John recognized him immediately. "Kolya."

Kolya smiled while admiring the curved dagger he was holding. "Just finished sharpening my favorite collection. This one is special. Perfect for rupturing vital organs." His gaze shifted from the knife and landed on Shawn.

"Colonel Sheppard, it looks like the fates have been favorable to me. I have you in my possession to redeem the death of my brother." He then laughed. "And according to the surveillance in your holding cell... I also have your brother in my midst."

John clenched his jaw and said nothing.

Kolya walked toward Shawn. "Quit amusing if I do say so myself."

Shawn, who looked like he had been holding his breath for the past minute, decided to speak up. "How about John and I both give you a hand written apology? Or some form of community service? I'm pretty handy with a rake and a few garbage bags. I could take care of pine needles or ..." Shawn then swallowed hard as Kolya raised his knife to his throat. This didn't deter Shawn. "Because, y'know, killing people for revenge is _so_ last year."

Kolya had different plans. "Strap both of them down."

The four guards in the room reacted with precision and speed, seizing both Shawn and John and complying with their leader. Before Shawn had a chance to respond, the cold metal of the table enveloped his prostrate body.

"Don't do this." John was seething. "I'm warning you."

Kolya, who was browsing his walls of sharp pointy objects as if trying to pick out a movie at Blockbuster, laughed. "Or what? You'll gain super strength and bust through your restraints and save the day? Hardly." He paused and selected a long skinny knife. "Besides, no one knows you're even here."

John growled and struggled against the straps constraining him. Two guards pointed their guns at him.

Kolya was hovering over Shawn. "Sheppard, please, I wouldn't try anything if I were you. Or this will be over much faster than you'd like."

John moved his head slightly to get a better angle at the table beside him. Kolya caught his gaze and smiled. "Isn't this ironic? My brother for yours? " Before John or Shawn could respond, Kolya jabbed the blade into Shawn's arm.

Between Shawn's cry of pain, John's lash out in anger and Kolya's distinct sneer, it was a chorus of sickening delight to the Genii leader.

Their time was running out.

* * *

The gate exploded open and Lorne was the first to emerge. He was quickly followed by Ronan, Teyla and Gus, who insisted to come above all else. The group of marines that accompanied them looked like a small army. If anything, whether John and Shawn were dead or alive, the Genii were toast.

Lorne glanced down at the ancient device he held in his hand. "Sensors are picking up something within 500 yards."

Ronan's hawk-like eyes already had it pinpointed. "Psst, Major, over here." The group mirrored Ronan by crouching down beside him. Ronan in natural form, kept his gun raised and set for kill. He used it to point directly ahead of him.

In the waning afternoon light a small opening in the ground could be seen. It resembled a manhole, but it was odd since it was placed in the center of a clearing in the woods. Suddenly the hole opened and two figures crawled out from it. Two girls in humble villager clothing, to be precise.

Gus leaned in slightly to get a better look, completely oblivious to the fact that he was in Ronan's personal space. "I recognize them! I think Shawn was hitting on them back at the first village."

The two must've of sensed they were being watched and made an effort to retreat but Ronan was far too fast. Bursting through the woods, setting his gun to stun, the two girls were down for the count before they even had a chance.

Quickly, Lorne directed two marines to guard the entrance, because keeping up with Ronan was proving to be quite the feat. Per usual.

Gus was one of the last to climb down due to residual fears popping into his head. "I am not claustrophobic, I am not claustrophobic." After he pushed away from the final rung of the tiny ladder, Gus swivelled around and found Teyla staring at him, obviously concerned.

"Are you alright?" She then placed her hand on his shoulder.

This pushed all his fears aside. Gus plastered on the toothiest grin he could muster. "Never better."

But from the looks of, Gus had nothing to fear. The Genii headquarters were anything but cramped. It resembled an over sized Costco and then some. Teyla must've picked up on his admiration of the size.

"The Genii are known for their architecture in underground dwellings. It keeps them safe from the Wraith."

Gus shuddered. "Well, if this can keep them safe from those... things, I don't blame them."

Lorne was directing groups. They needed to break up to cover more ground. But he paused. "Why is it so quiet down here?"

Ronan seemed to be itching for a gunfight. He was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I noticed that too. Other than those two girls at the entrance, this entire first level is pretty quite."

"Rumors have it that the Genii numbers have dwindled since we last dealt with them," Teyla said.

Ronan grumbled. "Probably because they now have an idiot for a leader."

"Maybe they know we're here and are waiting to attack us," Gus offered with a half of a shrug.

Everyone turned to looked at him.

"Actually that is probably true," Teyla added with a frown.

Lorne agreed and pointed to the group at his right. "Take the west, and we'll take the east. Keep in radio contact."

The Sargent in charge of the group nodded,"yessir-ed" and they were off.

Gus made sure to keep in pace with Ronan at all times. He knew that was his ticket to staying alive if things got hairy.

Lorne led the group down into the second level. He turned the corner, his P-90 aimed to create a warpath. Still nothing.

"I wonder if," Teyla broke the silence, "This is not their main compound. Many years ago, the Genii flourished. I wonder if they have compounds on many planets."

But it wasn't quiet for long. Lorne's radio crackled to life. Several P-90 shots could be heard along with the Sargent's voice. "We found more Genii. But no holding cells."

Suddenly the shots ceased but the Sargent's voice didn't. The Genii may be advanced but they weren't a match for the ferocity of well prepared marines. The Wraith, however, were an entirely different story. Thankfully they were dealing with the former, not the latter.

* * *

So far Kolya had broken Shawn's arm, but not his will. Shawn hadn't as much peeped after the first bout of pain.

John was beyond enraged. If he had the ability to bore holes with his eyes, the entire place would be falling to pieces. "KOLYA! I tried to SAVE your brother. I didn't send him to his grave. He did that to himself!"

Denek paused. "And I know this to be true because... you said it? That's laughable. The entire remaining Genii gave me a first hand account of how exactly you killed my brother!"

"It's a lie! I promise you!" John then looked over at Shawn, who had his eyes shut. He appeared awfully calm and serene. "Shawn listen to me. ... Shawn?"

Koyla tsked. "Oh Colonel, your brother passed out from pain several minutes ago."

John roared and thrashed once again. "Deal with me instead! Just let him go!"

"And where's the fun in that?"

The guards standing in the room suddenly moved from their position.

"Sir? We received word from Level 2 that we've been infiltrated." The guard tried to remain as calm as he could, but fear crept into his voice. His face was white. The game was up.

Relief flooded over John. Justice at its finest.

"What?" Denek replied. "That's impossible." He marched over to one of the guards and yanked the gun from his hands. "It's time to get this over with, enough wasting time."

Before he had a chance to aim the weapon, the door to the room burst open with enough ferocity to shake the foundation. Ronan Dex placed his gun at the base of Denek's head. "I wouldn't try anything if I were you. That includes breathing."

Kolya dropped his gun to the ground and watched as Lorne and Gus ran over to loosen Shawn's straps, Teyla taking care of Sheppard in the process.

Ronan leaned in closer to the Genii leader, his gun pressing further into his skull. "Don't. Move. From. This. Spot." With that, Ronan trotted over to Shawn and picked him and flopped him over one shoulder.

A newly freed John Sheppard half walked, half limped over to Denek Kolya, who was watching John as if he were a caged beast on the loose.

"You know what I'm going to do with you?" John seethed under his breath.

"Sir, there is a report of a Wraith hive ship entering the planet's atmosphere," Lorne interjected.

John now smiled. "Even better. You know what I'm going to do with you? I'm going to leave you here. We're going to go through the gate, we're going to lock it and we're going to_ leave you here_."

Koyla's eyes widened. "You wouldn't."

John shrugged and ignored the wince of pain. "Hey, you've got a chance to survive. At least I'm giving you that."

Without a single glance back, John and his team rushed out of the Genii compound. As soon as they hit the fresh air above, a scream of a Wraith dart could be heard in the distance. Thankfully, it sounded far enough from the gate to make their escape.

With the gate glowing up and running, it was too much of a beacon to attract Wraith darts. They had to move. Fast.

Pushing all his might into the final last distance, John sprinted through the gate. After he was through, the last thing he remembered was collapsing.

* * *

The comfortingly stark white infirmary greeted John as he woke from a solid night of sleep. Moving his head to his left, he saw Shawn in an identical bed. His arm wrapped in a blue sling.

"Hey, buddy..." John started.

"Oh man, I feel like I could use a full body massage. And a trip to Krispy Kremes." Shawn then looked over at him. "Hey buddy yourself."

John sighed and searched for the right thing to say. "I am so sorry I got you into this, I don't even know where to start..."

"Dude, no apologies. Because, hello, I got my arm broken by a weird, oddly human, oddly decently good at the English language alien guy. That's the best story ever..."

John laughed. "That you can't tell anyone."

"Oh, right. And still, chicks dig wounds."

"True, true. The story you could make up, however, might be fitting for an Academy Award, I can only imagine."

Shawn grinned. "You have no idea. Jules is going to be crying like a baby."

Just then, Gus, Rodney and Weir walked in. Closely followed by the good doctor, himself.

Beckett greeted Shawn right away. "Looks like our little patient is in good health."

"It could be worse. If Gus were in my position, he'd be whining like a princess."

Gus crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Is that the thanks I get for saving your sorry ass?"

Shawn looked over at Beckett. "But he didn't even deny it! He knows he's a princess!"

"Knock it off, Shawn. If anything I'd be putting you to shame. I'd be making that sling look _good._"

Rodney smirked at John. "So I heard you fainted. Like a girl."

"What? I didn't faint. I collapsed. There's a difference."

"Sure, sure. That's just a fancy word for faint."

"I had a harrowing physical and emotional ordeal. I am allowed to collapse if I want to."

Rodney smiled. "Oh, I know. I'm just here to remind you that we're one for one."

As Weir watched the friendly banter between friends, she couldn't help but feel more than thankful everyone was in one piece. Although Shawn was technically in pieces.

"Ahem, boys, boys. I hate to break of the camaraderie, but I have something to say." Weir smiled at all of them. "Other than being thankful you are here, safe and sound."

She turned to Shawn and Gus. "We have enough reserved ZPM power to send you back to Earth. Which, unfortunately, is scheduled for tomorrow morning."

John frowned. "Why so soon?"

"Well, that's what I was going to tell you." She looked back at Shawn. "Your abrupt exit from Earth has left a lot of questions unanswered. And as of 0400 this morning, the Air Force," Weir glanced at John briefly, "received a formal complaint from a Henry Spencer. And we felt it was in your best interest to return."

Shawn sunk his head into his pillow. "Oh my god. Even in a different galaxy, my dad manages to embarrass me."


	16. The End For Now

Phew! Here it is, the finale. Well for now. Writing Shawn and John (and Gus!) together is too much fun. So I might just keep at it, but with one-shots. So stay tuned. Thank you so much to everyone who read and reviewed. I appreciate you all!

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

* * *

Chapter Sixteen: The End. For Now.

Shawn sat down on his freshly made bed, wrinkling the military-grade sheets. He watched Gus pack up everything that was considered theirs. Shawn spotted a couple of random wooden items being stuffed into a gray duffel bag.

"Where did you get that crap?"

"It's not crap, Shawn, they're gifts from Teyla."

"Does one of them include her phone number?"

Gus narrowed his eyes at him. "As if I'd tell you."

Shawn rubbed the shoulder that shared his injured arm, "Dude, she lives in another galaxy. Long distance relationships suck."

Gus huffed and grumbled something about 'packing Shawn's things up' but said nothing more.

Shawn meanwhile walked around the room, and looked out the port hole that displayed the ginormous ocean surrounding the city. "I think I'm going to miss this place." He placed his good hand on the cold metal wall. "It's like my second home." He closed his eyes as if he was having a 'moment' with the Atlantean structure.

"A second home? Shawn, we've been here less than a week. If that."

"Really? It feels like... years."

"All I know is, I have several days of DVR to catch up on."

Shawn turned to look at him. "Downton Abbey?"

"You know it." Gus grinned. "I have a good feeling about the Christmas episode, Matthew and Mary are going to end up together this time."

A soft knock interrupted them.

Shawn looked over at the door. "Um, enter?"

Elizabeth Weir did just so. "Are you two ready?"

Gus stood up, two gray duffle bags at his sides. "More than you know."

Shawn looked up around the sharply angled room, and then back at the port hole facing the alien ocean. "I suppose..."

Weir, Teyla and Ronon escorted both of them to the gate room. More than half of Atlantis's population was standing there, waiting for them. Including Major Lorne who was looking almost forlorn.

"Hey, go to In n Out burger for me, will ya? And Dairy Queen." The major said, approaching Gus and Shawn. "I miss Oreo Blizzards."

Shawn nodded. "Will do. Though I prefer Heath over Oreo. I hope that works."

After several goodbyes were made, including Ronan who made it look like he wasn't going to miss them at all, though it was obvious he was going to cry into his pillow later, Teyla was the last to bid her adieu.

Gus held onto her hug the longest, even after she tried to pull away. "Anytime you want to come to Earth, anytime at all... I'll hook you up."

Teyla walked away, looking slightly weirded out.

Shawn was too busy noticing John wasn't present.

Weir looked up into the overhang of the gate room and nodded to Chuck, who started the dial-up sequence.

By now, Gus was well-aware of Sheppard's absence. "Where's John?"

As if emerging from their thoughts, a flip-flop clad Sheppard strolled into the gate room. He, too, was accompanied by a couple duffel bags.

"Mind if I join you boys?"

Shawn looked like a rabid squirrel. "You're coming with us? Duuuude! This means we can take you to the Catalina Island kite festival."

John pulled the aviator sunglasses from his face. "Are you serious?"

Gus chimed in. "It's a kite enthusiast's dream."

Weir laughed. Loud. "Well, I'm certainly glad these next few days will be... exciting."

"Oh maan," Shawn and Gus shared a look of what could only be described as glee. "It's going to be the best week ever."

Sheppard nodded to Ronan, Teyla and Weir.

"Six days have been cleared, Colonel. Major Lorne is in charge until you return." Weir added, easing Sheppard's mind.

The Colonel turned to Lorne. "I owe you one."

Lorne nodded. "Oreo Blizzard."

After all pleasantries were exchanged and all goodbyes given, the three travelers stepped into the gate.

Shawn and Gus were certainly surprised when they reached the other side. "Colorado!"

* * *

One great thing about being in a secret division of the government, certain perks were awarded.

That included private flights to any airport in California.

After the surprisingly smooth charter plane landed at the Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, John knew it was time.

Time to see Henry Spencer. And to hash it all out. All the missed holidays, birthdays and random calls.

It was time to make things right.

John and Gus grabbed their bags and followed 'squeezing every ounce out of his injury' Shawn off the small plane.

It was as if the planets had all aligned and the universe had a preconceived idea of the events of John's life, because low and behold, Henry Spencer was parked directly next to the runway. His pickup in plain sight.

The driver's side door open, and Henry emerged.

"Well, well, well." He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I had a feeling you were behind this." He eyed his son. "Let me guess, you followed your brother into trouble?"

Shawn gave John a pained look. Gus was oblivious to the entire exchange, he was trying not to kiss the ground he stood on.

"Henry."

"John."

"I can explain," Shawn piped up.

"As you always can," Henry said, his eyes narrowing.

John made the first move by walking forward and placing his hand on Henry's shoulder. "It's been awhile, old man." His sincerity and honesty cracked Henry's veneer.

"It's good to see you, kid."

John smirked. "It's good to see you too."

This made Henry crack a smile. He looked between his three 'sons'. "Salmon burgers sound good for dinner? We have a lot to catch up on."

"Nothing sounds better."

Shawn nodded. "I'm suddenly craving Dairy Queen."

* * *

_Six months and one more Atlantis reprieve later-_

Madeline Spencer, John and Shawn's mother, was busy in Henry's kitchen, frosting cooled brownies.

"So, sweetheart," Madeline placed brownie in front of John. Gus looked miffed that he wasn't the first to receive one. "How is that girl you've been telling me about?"

Gus looked over at John. "It's not Teyla is it?"

Shawn, looking up from his phone, mid-text to his girlfriend (Juliet, of course), interjected. "It's Weir, right?" He then looked over at Gus. "Or maybe it's both. Maybe John's a polygamist now."

Before John could answer his mother, the phone in his front pocket buzzed. Mid-bite of fresh brownie, John looked at his caller id. He groaned. "It's Colonel Caldwell." Though with a mouth full of brownie, it sounded like he said 'Colonel Chedder'.

"Wraith again?" Gus asked, wide-eyed.

John flashed a very stern 'seriously, you just said 'Wraith' in front of my own mother' look to Gus and answered his phone

After a few brief moments, all John said was:"Yes, sir, I understand." And then he ended the call.

Madeline eyed John. "Everything ok? I still can't believe you're a Lieutenant Colonel!" She then knitted her brows. "Actually what I can't believe is that I am actually old enough to have a son who's a Colonel."

Gus displayed an open palm. "And I am still in dire need of a brownie."

John stared at his phone and then glanced between Shawn and Gus.

Before anything else could be said, Shawn chimed up. "Can we come? I need a Ronan-fix."


	17. Epilogue

And for good measure, here is the epilogue. Thank you again for your loyalty in this story. :D You guys are cats pajamas

* * *

Epilogue

Colonel Caldwell wasn't calling to retrieve Sheppard for a dire mission, he was actually calling to confirm the approval for Ronan Dex's scheduled departure. Or rather, a much needed holiday to California.

Since Ronan had once travelled to Earth before, it was easier to give him clearance through Stargate Command. Now that the ball was rolling, Ronan was on his way to enjoy fun in the sun for a week.

At approximately 0900, Henry Spencer, John Sheppard, and Ronan were sitting in a pub, watching a game. Just the three of them. John and Henry were quietly sipping a lager, while Ronan was on his fourth Guinness. Fourth and counting.

He gruffly sat down the empty pint glass. "This black drink is pretty damn good."

John laughed, "I knew you'd like it."

Since picking him up from the airport, Henry had been analyzing the massive he-man that was Ronan Dex. Shawn had sung his praises for several months, though Henry wasn't even entirely too sure where Shawn had met him in the first place.

"That's classified," is all he'd receive for an answer, of course. Even from Gus. And he could usually crack Gus like a book.

Henry watched Ronan order his fifth stout. Secretly, he was happy to have not one, but two guys to actually go have a beer with. Getting Shawn anywhere near a place that served alcohol was like pulling teeth. And then some. Plus he needed to strike while the iron was hot. So far Gus and Shawn had plans for Ronan and John: Disneyland, laser tag and Hunger Games in the IMAX, among many other things. Henry would rather gouge his eyes out.

"So... where are you from again?"

"Far away," John and Ronan said, both simultaneously.

"Far away. Right."

John grinned. "Ok. He's from Hawaii."

"Where's Hawaii?" Ronan asked, ruining everything.

Some guy strolled past Ronan, skirting him as if the dreaded man was a caged animal ready to attack. He certainly was imposing, and he definitely drew a crowd. Since leaving the airport, Ronan had received odd glances from any and all men, and admiring stares from the female population. Literally anything in a skirt. Speaking of which, some blonde walked up, handed over her phone number and walked back to her group of girlfriends, giggling like a teenager.

John narrowed his eyes at his friend. "I hate you."

Ronan rolled his eyes at the series of digits. "Like this does me any good..."

"No phones in Hawaii?" Henry asked, snark lacing his words. Naturally.

Speaking of phones, Henry's buzzed.

"It's Shawn. This probably isn't good." His son was currently on a trip with SBPD, investigating a missing prize winning Dachshund. He was apparently using his best pet-psychic skills. Which meant woo-ing Juliet with his mysterious skill-set, but all the while aggravating Lassiter to no end.

He hung up the phone after a brief call. "Gus and Shawn are stranded in the middle of the forest with a dead battery. Apparently Lassiter left them there on purpose."

Ronan laughed while half-listening, half-watching the flat screen TV showing an Australian rugby game.

"Great. We have to go get them?"

"I guess."

John turned to Ronan. "Wanna go watch Shawn in action?"

Ronan frowned at the half-empty beer. "I guess."

After grudgingly paying the tab, Henry was the first out the door. But Ronan was stuck staring at the TV. John followed his gaze up and saw that a commercial for Wormhole X-Treme was being shown.

"Sheppard. What. The. Hell..."

John nodded. "Yeah, we got a lot to catch up on. Thankfully it's a long drive to the forest."

FIN

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Thank you again everyone! Psych/Atlantis one-shots. coming very soon ;)/p


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